


The Past Comes Home

by Slytherin_Princess10



Series: The Past Comes Home [1]
Category: Walking Dead, Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-15 16:27:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1311496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherin_Princess10/pseuds/Slytherin_Princess10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU NO ZOMBIES! Beth left her home town, running, over 3 years ago. Now she returns, with her new fiancé Zach to face old demons and tie up loose ends before her wedding. Being at home again isn't easy for Beth as she tries to face the feelings and people she left behind. BETHYL BethXDaryl</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Ok...be gentle. I will be the first to say I was meant to be a fanfiction READER, not a writer. However, this idea came to me while watching an episode of Hart of Dixie (titled the Crush and the Crossbow...how perfect is that?!) so I decided to try it out. Not sure where I will go with this exactly and I have no idea how long it will be but this is what I have for now. Let me know what you think...any tips are encouraged and appreciated!**

**P.S. Ages have been changed. Beth is 25, Daryl is 33.**

 

Beth sat in the passenger seat of Zach's shiny black Charger, staring out the window as the Georgia scenery flashed by, almost as fast as the thoughts racing through her mind. After packing her bags and heading off...no, running off to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous singer, she was coming home again. The thought of that brought a small smile to her lips while simultaneously making her feel like her insides were being tied into a knot. As if reading her mind, Beth realized Zach was interrupting her thoughts.

"You nervous or something?" He reached over to grab her hand out of her lap and gave it a squeeze. "Looks like your fingers could use a break." He grinned at her while nodding down to her hands. Beth looked down and saw she had been picking at her cuticles, and that yes they did look a little raw. She cleared her throat and did her best to sound normal.

"Sorry, old habit I guess." It, in fact, was an old habit. One she hadn't done in the three and a half years she had been gone. It was one of the things they had teased each other about. Her picking at her cuticles while _he_ gnawed on his thumb. It was probably one of the only things they had slightly in common. Beth shook her head as the thoughts of _him_ entered her mind. _He_ was the reason she left and he was part of the reason she was coming home, but she didn't want to cross that bridge until she came to it.

Trying to distract herself from her own mind, Beth tried changing the topic. "Are you excited about meeting Mama and Daddy?"

Zach glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "If by excited you mean completely terrified, then yeah, sure."

Beth laughed and shook her head. "You'll be fine. Mama'll love you and Daddy just wants me to be happy."

"Yeah, well I feel like I shoulda asked for his blessing or something." Zach had one hand on the wheel, the other still held her left hand as he brushed his fingers over the diamond ring on her finger. Beth wasn't really a fan of diamonds but she hadn't had the heart to tell that to him when he got down on one knee in the middle of Times Square and asked her to make him the happiest man in the world. The entire proposal wasn't anything like Beth, but she figured she loved Zach, or at least that's what she told herself.

"Nonsense...I'm sure he'll be thrilled. Like I said, that man just wants to see me happy."

Zach was a nice guy who treated her right, and sure, she liked him enough, but he didn't give her those butterflies in her stomach, and she certainly didn't see fireworks when they kissed. To Beth, fireworks were very _very_ important. Still, Beth had agreed to marry Zach, and even with the second guessing of herself, she felt as though she was ultimately making the right choice.

Now here they were, having driven all the way from New York to Georgia so Zach could meet her parents and so Beth could tie up some loose ends.

After another few hours of driving, mostly in silence, Zach and Beth pulled off onto the dirt road that led up to her parents' farm house. They passed the tree that Beth had fallen out of when she was 6 which left her with a broken arm. She could see the pond in the distance where she had thrown Maggie's birth control pills. It was little things like these about her home that brought on a wave of memories. Beth started to tear up with a smile on her face, feeling overwhelmed with being back, and Zach looked over and gave her hand a firm squeeze.

They pulled up past the gate and Beth's breath caught in her throat as she looked at her childhood home before her. It looked exactly the same, like she had never even left. Zach slowed the car to a stop as Beth's father, Hershel Greene stepped out onto the porch. Before Zach could even put the car in park, Beth had thrown the door open and was running up the steps, right into her father's arms.

Beth was a wreck. She clung to her dad for dear life, not being able to get out anything but sobs. Hershel had his arms wrapped around Beth and kissed the top of her head.

"Welcome home Bethy."

Again, she could get out nothing more than her cries. Zach stood by the car, passenger door still open, staring at the two. He was trying to think of what he should do when the screen door on the porch opened and out stepped a woman who looked like a much older version of Beth. He guessed it was her mother.

"Hershel, what is going-Oh Beth is that you?" She cut herself off as she saw her youngest daughter wrapped up in her father's arms. Beth, whose sobs had quieted down to a loud whimpering, pulled back from Hershel as soon as she saw her mother, and then she threw her arms around her and the sobs returned.

Zach shifted his feet, feeling like he was intruding. Hershel looked at the man standing next to the new muscle car and raised his eyebrows, not saying a word, thus making Zach feel even more awkward. Beth pulled herself together enough to pull away from her mom, sniffling.

"Oh gosh, I'm a mess. I'm sorry. Mama, Daddy, this is Zach." She gestured to Zach who was still just standing there next to his car.

"He's my fiance."

Annette's eyes widened as Hershel just continued to stare.

Zach gave a small wave. "Hello." This seemed to snap Annette out of her shock.

"Oh my! Well get up here and let me get a look at you!" Zach made his way up the steps and was quickly engulfed into a hug by Beth's mom. He turned to Hershel and extended his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Greene." Hershel stared at his hand for a moment longer than he should have, before he accepted the handshake.

"Please, call me Hershel."

"Alright...Hershel."

Annette spoke up again, ushering everyone inside as she let them know that she had just made a fresh batch of sweet tea.

Sitting around the old dining table, sipping on their sweet tea, the questioning began.

"So Bethy, what brings ya back round these old parts?"

Beth looked up to her father's aging face and into his kind wise eyes. "I wanted ya'll to meet Zach and I have some things to take care of while we're down here."

Hershel nodded. "Yeah, I reckon you do."

Beth didn't know what else to say. She had missed her parents and hadn't seen them since she left. She hadn't even come back for Maggie's wedding a couple years ago. She thought coming home would be a celebration, instead she just felt like she wasn't quite welcome. The table once again fell into silence.

Annette cleared her throat, her eyes flicking between her husband and her daughter. "Well, we're so glad you're home honey." _Home._ Her warm voice soothed Beth and instantly put her at ease. "Let me show ya'll up to your rooms."

"Rooms?" Beth questioned. She knew her parents were religious but she figured at 25 she'd be allowed to share a room with her fiance. She didn't question it though, not wanting to push her luck. She just nodded and stood up, giving Zach a look to follow.

After being shown to her childhood room, Beth collapsed onto her back on the bed. She pulled out her phone, pulling up her sister's name and started a text.

_Just got settled in to Mama and Daddy's. Please save me._

Maggie quickly returned her text.

_We're goin' out. Meet me at Patton's at 8._

Beth smiled, feeling very excited to see her sister again. She was the only person who she had regular contact with in the last 3 years. She had even come up to New York to visit with her husband, Glenn. Her sister was understanding, not even getting mad that Beth didn't come back for the wedding. Maggie just knew Beth would come home when she was ready.

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was only 3. Her eyelids were drooping, not getting much sleep for the last few days due her body being filled with anticipation. She figured a good fiancee would go and make sure Zach was getting settled in alright, especially after the tense first encounter with her father but her fatigue won. She closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Beth woke up at 7 and quickly changed her grungy driving clothes into her normal attire. Skinny jeans, lace up boots, a white tank top, and her favorite worn military style jacket. Her hair looked a mess so she quickly threw it up into a ponytail on top of her head, not even bothering to comb out the knots that had formed during her nap. After applying some mascara and chapstick, she made her way out of her room and into Zach's. He too seemed to have just woken up from a nap.

"Maggie wants us to meet her at the bar in town. That okay?"

Zach nodded, still groggy. "Sounds good. Be nice to see a familiar face." He had met Maggie when she came to visit, which was right after Zach and Beth started seeing each other.

He got up from his bed and pulled Beth into him for a hug. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and told him to get ready so they could leave as she made her way out of his room.

They pulled up to the bar a few minutes before 8, parked and made their way inside. Zach went to go order drinks and Beth was making her way through the people, a mix of young fresh faces out to party and the local alcoholics whose years had not been kind to their bodies. Someone bumped into her as she was passing by the pool tables and would've fallen over if not for a hand reaching out to steady her.

"Sorry sugar, didn't see ya there." Beth froze, recognizing the voice instantly, as she looked up to see one Merle Dixon staring back at her. His wide grin quickly disappeared. Beth was scared for a second that Merle was about to hit her, judging by the sneer that had just formed on his hard face, but she knew Merle would never actually lay a hand on her. Still, she didn't want to be seeing him right now, pissed off or not, so she turned ready to run in the other direction when she bumped into a very hard chest.

Again she was steadied, giant hands wrapping around her biceps. She looked up to the tall stranger and into some very blue eyes, ones that she would know anywhere.

"Aw, fuck." His southern twang made her heart skip a beat. Standing in front of her was Daryl Dixon. Her husband.

**Please review and let me know if I should continue. Once again, any tips are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**How do I put this eloquently?...Holy shit. This is really exciting for me because I was terrified of posting this story. I'm not a confident writer and like I said before, I'd much rather be reading a fanfiction but when the idea strikes, you basically have no choice but to take advantage of it.**

**Let me just say that yes, this story will have some similarities to Sweet Home Alabama but many things will be different and it will probably contain quite a bit more angst hahaha.**

**The lovely Riain (please read her Bethyl stories because they are seriously amazing...I'm not kidding, go right now and read them.) has offered to Beta for me (after reading her proof my work, I now realize how horrible my punctuation really is haha) and she has been kinda talking me through my writer anxiety and problems. Can't thank her enough!**

**Anyways, on with chapter 2...**

Looking up into those eyes; ones that were currently glaring at her, Beth felt as if she was suddenly 18 again.

_The fresh faced teenager, in the red dress with the white apron, was not having a good first day. She was the new waitress at the only diner in town. Beth had been coming here on Sundays after church with her parents since she was just a little girl, but today she was seeing it in a whole new light, and she hated it_

_Not only did she feel as though the thermostat was kept at 115 degrees, but she had already dropped a few dishes and spilled a drink on a customer. That customer just happened to be Will Dixon, one of the town's local drunks, definite lowlife, and he looked like he was about to go nuclear with the spill on his clothes. The instant that Beth accidently tipped the coffee mug onto its side- the liquid spilled across the table, onto Will's legs. He immediately started screaming at Beth, who just stood there unsure of whether to apologize or cry._

_"Jesus fucking Christ!" Will roared, loud enough for the entire diner to stop eating and turn to see what the commotion was about._

_Beth's innocent ears burned at his choice of words and the tone he was using to say them. "This fucking burns, what the hell is wrong with you girl?"_

_Beth opened her mouth to reply but Will just kept on ranting, not caring one bit what she had to say as he was grabbing a handful of napkins out the dispenser to clean himself up. Neither of the two paid any attention to the bell above the door chiming._

_"You stupid bitc-" Will's eyes were full of venom, his fist curling slowly at his side._

_"Dad!" The voice boomed across the silence of the diner, Beth released a held breath, thanking the Lord that someone had come to her rescue from Will Dixon._

_Will was cut off by the man who had just entered the diner; only to see the sight of his father berating some young girl, who looked like she was about to break down into tears. Beth's lip was trembling, but inside she only felt gratitude for the new stranger who had interrupted the verbal abuse. As if a switch went off in her mind, Beth realized she should probably do something besides just standing there looking like a kicked puppy. She pulled the rag out of her apron and began mopping up the puddle of still steaming coffee just as the stranger, who was apparently the son of this man, sat down at the table._

_"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I've been such a klutz all day and it's my first day and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing," Beth realized that her words came out fast and now she probably looked like a babbling idiot. "Just...let me make it up to you?"_

_Will, who only seconds ago was fuming with rage, now smiled. It wasn't the type of comforting and genuine smile that Beth was used to seeing. Instead he was looking at her like she was a prized cow up for auction. "Sure sweetheart, I'm sure we can think of something," he said as he grabbed his crotch in a non-discreet manner._

_Beth squeaked in shock, blushing a deep red. No one had ever made a sexual innuendo like that to her before. But it somehow didn't surprise her, especially coming from Will Dixon. Beth was about to just up on the table altogether and ask to go home, when the younger Dixon in the booth spoke up._

_"How about you just get us some new coffee?" The raspy low voice reminded Beth of gravel. Only then did she really look at the stranger. He had those blue eyes that any girl would drop her panties for and shaggy dirty blond hair that looked just a little too long. Her mouth watered as she looked over his impressive body-he wasn't huge, but he definitely was fit. Those arms looked like they were made out of rock, she caught herself silently thanking the Lord that his shirt didn't have sleeves. His clothes looked worn, his jeans had about four different holes in them, but he still managed to look like a movie star in Beth's eyes._

_Snapping out of her slightly inappropriate thoughts, she realized she hadn't responded to his question, and had just been openly ogling him. "Oh y-yeah! Sure. And of course it's on the house." Beth tried to force a smile on her face, instead her expression just made her look like she was in pain._

_Beth waited on them for the rest of their meal, despite her trying to push the table off onto one of the other two waitresses working at the diner that day. The older Dixon mostly just leered at her, obviously staring at her chest and backside whenever he got the chance. Beth hardly paid him any mind, just wishing he would hurry up and leave._

_Beth breathed a sigh of relief when the Dixon's finally did exit the diner. She tottered over on uneasy legs to clean up the table and collect her tip. Underneath a receipt copy was a five dollar bill, Beth gasped when she saw it. Her first thought must have been that it was a mistake; that was certainly too much to tip for such a small check, especially after spilling coffee all over the place. She realized it was no mistake when she saw a simple note written on the receipt:_

_'Hope this makes up for my dad.'_

_Beth couldn't help but smile genuinely as she pocketed the five and began clearing the dishes. Now happily humming a tune to one of her favorite songs, it was amazing how such a simple kind gesture could turn her day completely around._

_After that day, Daryl returned to the diner at least once a week, sometimes even more often than that. He always sat at one of Beth's tables, ordering the same thing every time. Beth and Daryl would often chat while he was eating, and once or twice he invited her to sit with him if she happened to be on a break. They got along well and Beth enjoyed getting to know Daryl- he was different from his father, that was obvious._

_That innocent, friendly interaction went on for about a year. A month after Beth's 19th birthday, Daryl Dixon finally asked her on a date. It was all downhill from there._

Here she was, seven years later in a rowdy loud bar, staring into those same blue eyes and all Beth could think was _'Shit!'_ Her chest constricted and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She shook her head thinking that this was a mistake. She shouldn't have come back, she should've kept that promise to herself to stay far away from here.

Merle stood next to Daryl, his massive size was like a shadow over the bar. His grating accent piped up, making Beth's eyes dart over to his less than pleasant features "Well well well...if it ain't little Miss Bethany Greene," This man would get a kick out of any uncomfortable situation, especially when it was at Beth's expense. "Or should I say Bethany Dixon?"

Daryl's eyes flicked up to Merle, giving him a look that basically told Merle _'shut up before I kick your ass'_ , before returning his ice cold gaze to Beth, who was starting to look just a little unwell. Nerves were coiling in her gut, Beth thought she was going to puke at the sight of the Dixon brothers.

Beth's chest kept getting tighter and tighter, her breaths were coming in short shallow bursts. She was pretty sure her entire body now had a fine layer of sweat coating it. Not sure of what else to do, Beth did what she was good at-she ran.

Bolting out the back door, after pushing her way through the mass of people, Beth could finally breathe. The chill in the air hit her face like a ton of bricks, jerking her out of her panic attack into the present of the chilly night. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on her heels. Placing her head in her hands, Beth had to keep mentally reminding herself to just breathe.

**More Daryl in the next chapter and probably another flashback. Please review if ya see something ya like!...or don't like. Chapter 3 will be up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3!**

**Once again, a HUGE thank you to Riain! You probably would not like this story as much if she wasn't editing it!**

Still slouched against the dirty brick wall outside Patton's Bar, Beth was focusing on breathing. 'In through your nose, out through your mouth' she reminded herself. Too focused on her regaining her composure, she didn't notice that the back door had once again opened and out walked the very man she had fled from.

Daryl Dixon stared at the petite blonde leaning against the wall, somehow managing to make herself look even smaller. He squinted; eyesight zeroing in on the deliberate rise and fall of her chest, the hunter's alert ears picked up the steady tones of her breathing. He was struggling to keep his own breathing even, being this close to _her again_. He studied the woman who had abandoned him so many years ago, just like everyone else in his life had. She looked the same-but at the same time she looked completely different. Her shiny golden hair that had always reminded him of sunshine had gotten even longer, he could tell that even with the ponytail piled on the top of her head. She was skinnier, making her look even more fragile. Back in the bar he saw her eyes, they were haunted more so than when he had last seen her, if that was even possible. The bags and dark circles didn't make her any less pretty. No, Beth Greene-Dixon was still beautiful.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Daryl cleared his throat. "Ya alright?" His voice came out quieter than usual, but still gruff and intense.

Beth's head snapped up so fast that Daryl was surprised she didn't snap her neck. She let out a huff, a shaky hand going to her heart to try and stop it from beating out of her chest.

"I'm _fine_." Beth over-stressed the last word in hopes he would take the hint and go away.

Daryl let out a single laugh, rumbling from deep in his chest as he shook his head. "Sure as hell don't look fine to me."

"I'm fine Daryl, please just leave me alone." Her eyes were pleading with him but at the thought of her asking him to leave her alone again, Daryl snapped.

"Leave ya alone? Un-fucking-believable." An impossible smile graced his mouth, as if the thought of that was laughable. Beth continued to stare, her heartbeat not once slowing down. "I left you alone for 3 years, Beth! Why the hell'd ya even come back? Why are ya doing this to me?" His voice cracked at his last sentence, as much as he tried to keep his emotions locked down tight.

Beth could see his chest rising and falling dramatically, indicating he was only letting part of his rage out, keeping most of it bottled up inside. She knew he was pissed at her, and she knew she deserved every ounce of anger he delivered. Suddenly the back door banged open, and this time out stepped Zach.

"Hey Babe, Maggie and I were wondering where you were." His easy going smile put Beth slightly at ease, momentarily forgetting that Daryl was still present.

She forced a smile at him and said "Yeah, sorry about that. Just needed some fresh air. I'll be inside in just a second." She hoped Zach would get the subtle hint. He did, much to Beth's frazzled nerves. Zach spared a glance at Daryl, nodded his head and disappeared into the blaring sounds of the bar once again.

"Babe?" Daryl's voice was now low again, so that only they were privy to the conversation. Beth felt a shiver run down her spine at how cold the once loved pleasantry sounded coming out of Daryl's mouth.

She stood up, smoothing down the imaginary lines on her pants. Only then did Daryl notice the gaudy diamond adorning her left hand. His eyes squinted even tighter, thoughts of the not so pleasant kind running through his mind.

"You're engaged?" He couldn't even believe the words coming out of his own mouth. He never thought Beth to move on past him, even though he wasn't exactly sure why he assumed that. There had to be better men than him out there that would take care of a pretty girl like her without a second's thought.

"Uh...yeah. That was Zach. He's my fiancé. That's why I'm back, got some things to take care of. Like a divorce, ya know?" Beth's words hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Daryl now felt like his heart was getting crushed in a vise, divorce was a strong word that he didn't believe in. He stood there rigidly, not hearing anything else but Beth's words replaying in his head over the blood rushing through his ears. He felt like he was going to be sick, swallowing the bile trying to make an exit via his throat.

Taking a deep breath, feeling his eyes start to water, Daryl tried to regain what little composure he had. "That's just...fucking perfect." The last words came out a whisper, his voice oozing like venom from a rattler. Daryl turned on his heel and stalked off, not bothering to go back inside the bar. No, he needed to put some distance between him and Beth before he said or did something he regretted.

Beth stood there braced up against the bar wall, not quite sure what to think. All of the confusing thoughts running through her head made her feel like her world was spinning out of control. _'I need a drink.'_ She thought to herself, knowing it wasn't the smartest idea in the current fucked up situation, but it was the only thought she had.

And drink Beth did. She plastered a smile on her face, making her way inside the bar towards her sister and their dates. She ignored the icy glare of one Merle Dixon the entire night, instead opting for a shot every time she felt the need to look over to see if Daryl ever returned. That turned out to be a lot of shots when the girls finally called it a night.

Beth didn't remember how, but she managed to end up in her own bed at her parent's farmhouse. At least someone was smart enough to not get black out drunk. Beth didn't really give a shit though because she knew if she hadn't of been drunk, there would have been no sleep for her that night. She was asleep fast and was soon thrown into a dream except that it wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

_It was April of 2009 again. Beth and Daryl had been dating for a year, ever since he had asked her out one day at the diner. They were two kids experiencing love for the first time and it hit them hard. After three months of seeing each other, they ended up spending all their time together. It was rare to ever see the two of them apart._

_On this spring day, the pair was lying in the field on Beth's family farm, staring up at the clouds in the sky. It was times like these that Daryl felt as if he didn't have a care in the world. There was only him and his Beth, nothing else mattered._

_Looking over at her sun-kissed face, Daryl smiled and grabbed her hand. Beth turned on her side, propping her head up on to her elbow, smiling back at him. He saw nothing but love and adoration in her eyes and it made Daryl's heart soar. Beth saw the good in everyone, but more importantly, she saw the good in Daryl._

_"We should get married." The words had come out before he realized he had even said them. Suddenly feeling very nervous, he looked away from her and back up to the clouds. She would say no, of course. Just because she saw the good in him didn't mean she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him._

_"Yeah...we should." Beth said the words as if they were the most casual thing in the world._

_Daryl's eyes widened briefly, surprised at her response. On the outside it might have looked like he was calm, cool, and collected. On the inside his heart was hammering and he couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man alive. Beth wanted him-ALL of him. He knew he came with an asshole brother and even bigger asshole daddy. He'd probably never be able to buy her fancy things, like he wanted her to have, but it wasn't fancy things that Beth had wanted. She wanted a life, with the man she loved. And that man was Daryl Dixon._

_That was the kind of proposal that was made for Beth. A conversation so comfortable between two people who trusted each other completely. Her smile grew as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling Daryl's smirk against her mouth._

Beth sprung up drenched in a cold sweat, dragging ragged breaths into her lungs. She shook her head furiously, as if it would make the memories disappear. Looking out the window, she groaned pitifully, realizing it was still very dark outside. Beth wasn't sure if the slight headache was the beginnings of a hangover or the fact that she had jerked awake. She was so drained both physically and emotionally that she could do nothing else but plop back down against her pillows and let sleep claim her once again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Here is chapter 4. This is mostly where the M rating starts to come in...meaning yes, sex.**

**Just wanted to comment on the fact that while the flashbacks may be pretty fluffy for the time being, I promise you the drama is coming. You will all get to see what happened between these two to cause such animosity. It will either be the next chapter or the one after where that story begins. And I'm sorry if you feel I'm doing too many flashbacks but I'm trying to tell the story of the past so you get the full picture of their relationship, and when that is done, the story can focus on the present.**

**Anyways, thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited. It truly means the world to me that people actually wanna read this story!**

**And once again, THANK YOU to Riain.**

Beth thought after waking up the first time, she may get to go back to sleep and be free of the dreams, but she was wrong in that assumption.

_It was October of 2008. Beth and Daryl had been together for about 7 months. On this night, they were watching what looked like some hunting show on the tv at Daryl's house. His house wasn't much but it was nicer than his father's shack. He didn't have beer cans or cigarette butts lying around, nor did he have posters of half-naked chicks hanging up on the walls. Still, when Beth came over for the first time, he had been nervous. Why? Because it wasn't a big old farmhouse, beautiful in its age, nor was it one of those nice new homes that had been built right off the interstate. It was a single bedroom cabin at the edge of the woods. Beth thought it was small, but perfect for a simple man like Daryl. She immediately felt at home in the functional cabin, simply because it reminded her of him._

_They were sitting on Daryl's navy blue couch he had found for 20 bucks at the local thrift shop. Beth was curled up in Daryl's arms, almost lying on top of him. Her back was against his chest; his nose and cheek resting on the top of her head, and his legs were on either side of her. The television was so aged that you couldn't really tell what you were watching due to the static, but the sounds coming from it and the soothing motions of Daryl's breathing were comforting to Beth. She was perfectly content just sitting there in Daryl's arms. She felt warm, safe, and protected with this man wrapped around her._

_Beth moved her head to the side so she could look up at Daryl; when she saw his face, she realized he had fallen asleep. Beth smiled up at him, she loved seeing him sleep. He almost looked angelic, nothing like the hardened man he put forth when he was awake. The thought of an angel Daryl made Beth giggle, which she quickly tried to quiet with her hand._

_Beth craned her head to try and glance at the clock on the stove. Seeing it was almost seven in the evening made her think she might as well get off the couch and cook them some dinner. Trying to ease her way out of Daryl's arms without waking him would be a tough feat but Beth figured it was worth a try. If she woke him, he could always keep her company in the kitchen as she fixed up their food._

_She reached up to the strong arms wrapped around her and tugged on them until she felt his grip loosen, if only just a little bit. She was scooting down so she could swing her legs over and plant her feet on the floor when his grip once again tightened around her. Beth squeaked as his gravelly voice broke the silence, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke._

_"Ya best stop moving like that if ya know what's good for ya."_

_"What if I don't?" Beth blushed a deep crimson, her voice coming out in a whisper. Daryl chuckled, his breath against her head made her body erupt with goose bumps. She was very aware of the intimate position they were placed in. She could feel Daryl hard against the curve of her ass._

_Daryl shifted her until her head was almost at the same height as his. "Guess you're gonna find out," he whispered back in her ear before he used his hand to turn her head so his lips could meet hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet, it was the way he usually kissed her. Not to say that they hadn't shared those intense and feverish kisses while making out and groping each other, but more often than not, it was just like this- slow and steady._

_At 19, Beth Greene was most definitely a virgin. Before Daryl she hadn't even so much as shared an open mouthed kiss with a boy. Now here she was; on top of this man, with his tongue sliding across her lower lip, making its way into her mouth._

_Beth turned over when his tongue finally did enter. Her hands went to his hair as his went to her hips, pressing her against him. She realized that they were now in an even more intimate position, with his hard length pressing up against her front. Heat pooled in her stomach, making her tighten her hold on his dirty blonde hair and moan into his mouth._

_Daryl felt his cock twitch at hearing the sounds coming from Beth. He pulled back from his attack on her mouth, breathing uneven. "Seriously Beth, if ya don't wanna do this, we gotta stop."_

_Beth responded by leaning down and placing a hot, wet kiss on his neck before she whispered in his ear, "I want to."_

_The animal inside Daryl had been awakened, he wasn't able to keep it caged anymore. He grabbed Beth and flipped them over so he was on top of her. His mouth found hers again; hands still on her hips, as he pushed himself against her core. Beth's hands draped over his shoulders, once again moaning into his mouth at the pressure at the juncture of her thighs._

_Daryl's hand left her hips, one forearm going to the side of Beth's head so he could brace himself. His hand was slowly traveling up; underneath the hem of her shirt, until it reached one of the small mounds on her chest. He met the soft cotton of her bra, his fingers curling up and pulling the offending cup down. When his fingers ghosted over her erect nipple, Beth sucked a hard breath through her teeth. Daryl smirked against her lips. His fingers pinched at her perky breasts eliciting different sounds from her mouth. Those sounds made Daryl strain against his jeans even more, he was the one giving her pleasure. Beth could feel her panties getting wet, the sole thought running through mind was 'more'._

_As if reading her mind, Daryl yanked his hand from her shirt, standing up from the couch, and pulling Beth with him. He reached down around behind her hips, clutching a cheek in each hand, hoisting her up until her legs wrapped around his waist. With his lips scorching Beth's, Daryl carried her to his bedroom, only opening his eyes to make sure he didn't run into the wall._

_Depositing her onto his bed, Daryl detached himself from her to see a very flushed, heavily panting Beth staring up at him. He thought it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Reaching down, he took hold of her shirt and lifted it above her head to throw it onto the floor. Daryl deftly reached around to undo the clasp on her bra. Pulling it off and throwing it behind him, he looked at the bare chested teenager before him. The sight of the pink nubs on her creamy white skin made Daryl's stomach tighten._

_Beth was starting to lose her courage as she sat there before Daryl in nothing but her jeans, but when she looked into his eyes, all she saw was lust. That look in his eyes brought her courage back, knowing she was what made his eyes burn. Daryl pushed Beth down until she was on her back once again. Daryl ran a trail of heated nips and kisses starting at her jaw, slowly moving down until he captured one of her nipples in his mouth. Beth's hands gripped into Daryl's hair, mewling as his mouth sucked on her hard peak. His free hand latched onto her other breast and gave it a firm squeeze, loving how she felt in his hands._

_Once he was satisfied with teasing her chest, his hand started making its way down her taut stomach until it was met with the rough denim material of her jeans. Daryl flicked the button open, fingertips grazing the delicate material of her underwear. Beth's breath caught in her throat as his fingers dipped below the material, dragging along the length of her wet slit. Daryl groaned as her juices ran down his fingers, she was soaking wet._

_Making his way up to her mouth again, Daryl gave her a quick kiss before reaching over his shoulders to pull his shirt over his head. He didn't care about Beth seeing his scars, she had seen them before. And of course being the girl she is, she didn't care. She didn't think they made him ugly, or any less of a man. No, looking up at Daryl, Beth knew that he was most definitely a man. She quickly reached down to shimmy out of her jeans as Daryl undid his belt, unbuttoning his own jeans and shrugging them down until he was clad in flimsy pair of boxers._

_The sight of a very innocent Beth Greene naked before him almost made Daryl cum right then and there. Her pale skin glowed and her pussy was glistening with her juices. And then she opened her mouth uttering words he never thought would come out of her pretty little mouth:_

_"I want you Daryl."_

_Daryl growled, throwing himself at her already swollen lips, kissing her so passionately you would think his life depended on it. His hand found her center once more, finger teasing her opening before he pushed a single digit inside. He wondered how a girl could ever be so tight, but Daryl Dixon wasn't known for having sex with virgins. He fucked her with his finger for a few minutes, planting kisses all over Beth's body while she whimpered. Adding another finger to try and prepare her for what was to come, he didn't want to tear her any worse than what was going to happen naturally._

_Beth had never felt anything like this in her life. There was a sharp pain from Daryl's thick fingers, but the pleasure was overwhelming. Every time his fingers thrust into her, he hit that spot deep inside her that made her want to scream._

_Soon Beth felt something building inside her, a fluttering deep in her abdomen that she had no control over. Daryl could feel how her muscles tightened up and kept his unrelenting pace._

_"You gonna cum for me girl?" That was all she needed to come undone, Daryl asking her to cum. Her walls tightened around his fingers, as he was wondering how it could have gotten any tighter than before. Beth cried out as her orgasm washed over her, never having experienced anything like it than before. Daryl was mesmerized, loving every minute of watching her let go. She was so responsive to him and what he had done to her. Beth was his in that moment._

_Beth struggled for breath, watching him through half lidded eyes. Daryl smirked as he withdrew his fingers, running his tongue over them, cleaning her juices off. He opened the drawer of the table next to the bed and pulled out a condom. Opening it, Daryl rolled it onto his painfully hard cock. He climbed back over her, on his knees between her legs. Beth was still breathing hard, never knowing she could feel this good, but she hoped it could only get better. She wanted all of what Daryl had to give her, she had to experience it all._

_"Ya sure?" He looked into her eyes, giving her one last chance to back out. He wouldn't blame her if she said no. Here he was, good for nothing Daryl Dixon about to take all of the innocence out of little ol' Beth Greene._

_Beth's response was a frantic nod, putting her hands on his ribs, not wanting to wait any longer for them to become one. Daryl planted his hand next to her head, holding himself above her. His other hand was busy guiding himself into her now dripping pussy, pushing himself inside slowly, inch by inch. Beth's eyes snapped shut, her body feeling impossibly full, the sharp pain had become a dull pain as Daryl stretched and filled her._

_Daryl stopped at her reaction, quietly assessing whether or not he should continue. After a minute, her eyes opened again, the look was silently urging him to continue._

_His thrusts started slow, calculating and deep. The pace soon picked up after Beth began accommodating to his size. Daryl couldn't get enough of the writhing woman beneath him; the whimpers coming from her lips, the thin sheen of sweat on her skin. Knowing he was close, he reached down in between them and started to rub her clit with his thumb. It didn't take long for Beth to once again lose herself in all that was Daryl. She came screaming his name, which was what pushed Daryl over the edge. With a couple more jerky thrusts, he found his release._

_He collapsed onto Beth, trying to catch his breath. Daryl carefully rolled over onto his back next to her as he withdrew from her body. They both lay there, panting and trying to contemplate what had just happened._

_Beth rolled onto her side, slinging an arm across Daryl's chest. "I love you, Daryl."_

_Daryl's heart soared at the words. This was the first time she had spoken them out loud to him. Wrapped up in the moment he breathed the words he knew she wanted to hear against her skin-"I love you too, Beth."_

_He had never been so sure of anything in his entire life as he was when it came to loving her._

Beth shot up in bed for the second time that night, but this time instead of a throbbing headache, she was met with the heart wrenching feeling of arousal mixed with sadness. She felt her heart drop, suddenly wishing she could go back to the dreamland and stay inside that space of time with Daryl again.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her impure thoughts, as Zach poked his head in the door.

"You up yet Beth?" His eyes scanned over the bed with rumpled sheets, seeing Beth's flushed face.

"Uh, yeah hun! I'll meet ya downstairs, alright?" Her voice came out an octave higher than usual. Feeling like a kid caught with their hand in the candy jar, she shook her head. 'It wasn't like anyone could read my thoughts.' Beth internally reprimanded herself.

Sighing, Beth threw the covers off her body, swung her legs over to the side of the bed and planted her feet on the floor. The hardwood under her felt gave her a sense of stability after the night of perusing through her dreams.

"I definitely need a long shower." Beth didn't realize she had spoken the words out loud as she pulled clean clothes out of her suitcase. It was going to be a very long day, especially after getting no sleep, and Beth couldn't help being bitchy. It was not her fault when shit hit the fan later on today, it was inevitable.

**So that was my first attempt at anything even remotely erotic. Very hard for my to write because I am a firm believer in down and dirty rough Daryl, but since it was Beth's first time, I figured that him throwing her against a tree wouldn't be right. There will definitely be more smut in the future though.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought...gently.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Let me just give a huge thank you, a hug, and cookie to Riain, who edited this on her netbook. Such a trooper!**

**Here is chapter 5, giving a little more insight into how people are feeling currently and another flashback to Daryl and Beth.**

**Info about chapter 6 will be in the AN at the end of the chapter.**

After taking a shower that lasted well over thirty minutes, with water that was perhaps a little too cold, Beth was not in any better of a mood than when she had woke up. The feelings of anger for all that had happened to her, mixed with sexual frustration made her feel like she was going insane. She knew if she really wanted to scratch her itch, Zach would be more than willing. But she also knew she could never be up for it with where she was mentally at the present moment.

With everything she was thinking and feeling crashing around her like the waves of a tsunami, all Beth wanted was to be back in New York with no one but her and Zach. That was where all her feelings were much more simple, less crowded and confusing. She sighed, shaking her head. 'No more running' she mentally told herself.

She unexpectedly was feeling incredibly guilty about how she had treated Zach since they had arrived, almost ignoring him completely so she could try and process her slew of emotions. She knew he understood but that thought did nothing to unwind the twisted feeling in her gut. Beth then decided, while brushing out her hair that easily fell to her waist, that today she would do her best to try and pay attention to her current relationship instead of focusing on the past. It was only fair to Zach, with him driving down to Georgia from New York for her, that she focused on him and not Daryl.

Beth didn't realize just how hard that would be until she was sitting at the dining room table with Zach and her parents. An awkward pause in conversation filled the air; the only sounds heard were those of forks against plates and sips being taken from the freshly squeezed orange juice.

Her mother had been acting as if Beth never left, just happy to have her daughter back at home again, if only for a short period. Hershel Greene, however, wasn't quite sure of how he felt with Beth being back. He felt joy, anger, pity, and confusion.

It seemed today was not going to go how Beth had planned.

"Zach, would you excuse us for a moment? I have some things I'd like to discuss with my daughter." Hershel's quiet tone filled the silence of the breakfast table, making everyone look up in question.

Beth's stomach dropped as she wracked her brain for any excuse to get her out of this discussion. She knew full well what was coming, but she didn't want to brave it alone.

"Uh Daddy, Zach's not done eating yet." She gestured to the almost full plate of food sitting in front of the young man, who was now looking very uncomfortable.

Not catching the hint that Beth was trying to get across, Zach shook his head. He stood up from the table, the sound of the chair scraping against the floor. "It's alright, Beth," he smiled "I'll just be outside, can't get enough of how beautiful it is here."

Beth groaned internally, now mentally cursing the fact that Zach didn't catch on that she would much rather be eaten alive by zombies rather than be alone with her father right now. Still, what else could she do? She just nodded her head at him.

"I sure do appreciate it, Zach." Hershel's voice came out kind, but Beth picked up on the underlying tones of annoyance.

Zach nodded, pushing in his now empty chair, and headed towards the front door. Only when they heard the hollow sound of the screen door slamming shut did Hershel begin his interrogation.

"What are you doing, Beth?" His voice was unwavering. To anyone else it would have been a simple inquiry, but Beth could see the hurt in her father's eyes.

Still wanting to avoid this conversation at all costs, Beth decided to play it like she had no clue what he was talking about. "What do you mean, Daddy?"

Annette's footsteps became increasingly quieter indicating to Beth that she too had left the room, leaving Beth truly alone with her father.

"Don't even try acting stupid!" Hershel's voice raised slightly, his frustration getting the best of him. "Why'd you come back?"

Beth's heart felt as though it had been stabbed with a white hot knife. She knew that there would be a few people in town who wouldn't want her here, but never in a million years did she think that her father would be one of them. Taking a shaky breath, Beth responded, trying to remain calm. "I wanted ya'll to meet Zach. We're gonna get married ya know?"

Hershel simply nodded once, his gaze never leaving his youngest daughter. "I know."

"So I also figured that if we were gonna get married, I'd have to get a divorce from Daryl first." Beth's voice waivered at the word divorce, it wasn't a word that was common conversation in her family home.

Her father already knew this was the true reason she came home. He pursed his lips the moment the word divorce passed through her lips. He felt anger towards his daughter, at how she had just given up on something that was supposed to be forever. It pained him to know that his youngest daughter didn't value marriage like she had been taught to growing up, that she was willing to throw the marriage away like a torn blanket, rather than sewing the tear and fixing it. It seemed to Hershel that to Beth it was easier to replace than repair, that was not the daughter he raised.

After Beth left, Hershel kept in contact with Daryl Dixon. He saw how much pain that young man went through when the only good thing in his life had just suddenly walked out.

"How could you do this to him?" Hershel's voice was quiet once again, but not soft. His harsh tone felt like a slap in the face to Beth. She couldn't believe that her own flesh and blood would turn on her like this. She said nothing, letting Hershel continue. "You have no idea what he went through when you were suddenly just... ** _gone_**! He gave you his heart, something not easy to do due to his upbringing, and you crushed it!"

Beth's guilt for how she had been ignoring Zach was soon forgotten. Now in its place was the immense guilt she felt for Daryl. It felt as though a ton of bricks were sitting on her shoulders. She was mad though, downright pissed off even. Pissed at how her father could only see his son-in-law's side in this story.

" ** _YOU_** have no idea what I went through! Neither did he! He wasn't there for me! He was only thinking of himself!" Beth's anger made the words leave her like fire, unaware she was yelling at her father.

Hershel shook his head at her words, mouth slightly hanging open. He looked in shock with his eyes wide and his cheeks pale. "If you truly believe that Beth, then you are a foolish girl."

To say Beth was done with the conversation would be an understatement. She shot up out of her seat, the chair falling over backwards behind her. Normally Hershel would scold her at such an outburst, but in this moment he just sat still, his gaze never faltering.

Beth once again ran from her past, straight out the front door, slamming it as hard as she could behind her. Feeling the tears well up in her eyes, she furiously wiped at them, silently trying to will them to stop.

Zach, who had previously been sitting on one of the antique chairs on the porch, stood up as he saw the flash of blonde hair rocket past him. "Beth?"

'Shit.' Beth had completely forgotten about Zach being just outside the front door. He probably had heard snippets of the conversation. Once again drawing in a shaky breath, she tried to calm herself. Zach knew that Beth had already been married but he didn't know any of the details as to what really happened. Just that she was young and stupid, married her first love, and then she had run off. He tried questioning her as to why she fled but every time he got the same response which was 'I really don't want to talk about it right now'.

Beth turned and looked at a very confused Zach standing at the top of the steps, his hand reaching out towards her like he was trying to grab at the air. His eyes were pleading for an explanation but all that was running through her mind was that she had to get off this farm… _right now_.

"Please, can we just go somewhere? Anywhere but here," Beth's voice cracked at the last word, finally breaking down into the inevitable sobbing mess she knew she would become.

Zach rushed forward, gathering Beth into his arms and pulled her against his chest. He started to stroke her hair as his soothing voice spoke to her in hushed tones. "Shh...it's alright babe. We can leave. Where do you want to go?"

They eventually got into the car when Beth's crying dulled down to an occasional whimper. Zach spoke up, "Hey, how about we go to that diner considering we didn't get to finish breakfast?" Beth nodded, remaining silent. She only spoke when it was to give Zach directions to the small diner she knew all too well.

Beth felt like she was being punished when they drove past the small courthouse. It felt like her heart couldn't take anymore, but she couldn't help but recall the last time she had stepped foot in there: her wedding day.

_They were riding in his old beat up truck to the local courthouse. Beth sat in her Sunday best, a white lace dress that fell just above her knees. Her hair was down, flowing behind her as the wind from the rolled down window kicked it up. Daryl was driving, one hand gripping the wheel, the other hand was up at his mouth. Beth smiled as he gnawed on the thumb-he was nervous. It was understandable, she was too, but she knew that deep down inside they both wanted this more than anything in the world. Today was her wedding day, the thought rousing butterflies in her stomach. Daryl had cleaned himself up, dressing in some black slacks and a blue button up shirt, and he had even shaved._

_Beth reached over across the bench seat and grabbed his hand, pulling it from his mouth. She leaned over and kissed the raw skin on his thumb. He smiled at her before switching his gaze back to the road. They had decided that they would get married in the courthouse, just the two of them, because that's how they felt like they lived their lives. It was just him and her and nothing else in the world could touch them._

_Beth had felt kind of bad for not telling her family. Sure, they knew she was engaged but they had no idea that today Beth and Daryl would tie the knot in secret. Her mother would probably cry, her sister would be pissed, but she knew her Daddy would understand. Daryl hadn't wanted his father to attend, for obvious reasons, and Merle was doing a stint at the local correctional facility so it was quickly settled that he wouldn't be able to make it._

_Even with the guilt of not being surrounded by family on the most important day of her life, Beth knew this is what was right for them. She knew Daryl wouldn't be comfortable with the big fancy wedding party, standing up in front of all of those people. He would have done it for her, he would do anything for her, but luckily that wasn't the type of wedding Beth had wanted either._

_Pulling into a parking spot out front, Daryl put the truck into park and shut off the engine. He sat staring straight ahead for a moment. Beth knew what was going through his mind. He was telling himself that he wasn't good enough, didn't deserve her. She scooted over, her hand reaching up to tilt his face towards her. She looked into those Georgia blues and spoke quietly, the words meant only for his ears. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_A small smile graced Daryl's lips as leaned forward to bring his lips to hers. The kiss was quick but he kept his face near, leaning his forehead against hers. "I don't deserve ya Beth."_

_Beth smiled, pleased that she knew what he was thinking. "You deserve a whole lot more than me."_

_Daryl chuckled, loving how she always knew exactly what to say. "Good thing I only want you then." Beth responded with a laugh._

_They left the truck and made their way into the courthouse. Daryl's leg was bouncing and Beth's hand was gripping his tighter and tighter as they tried to patiently wait for the judge to see them. Soon their names were called and they entered the chambers, said their vows, and were soon husband and wife. Beth felt breathless and invincible, and Daryl felt like he was on top of the world. They both exited the courthouse, holding hands, each sporting wide grins on their faces._

_They quickly made their way over to Daryl's truck. He walked her over to the passenger side and she reached to open the door when Daryl pushed her up against the truck and his mouth immediately found hers._

_The kiss was passionate, like he was trying to convey his feelings through actions. His hands gripped her hips, almost painfully, as if he were to let go, she would fly away. Beth kissed him back hard, her hands sliding up his chest to wrap around his neck._

_Anyone walking by probably would have scoffed at the blatant public display of affection, but in that moment, it was just Beth and Daryl in their own world._

_Daryl was the first to pull back from Beth's swollen lips. "Mrs. Dixon, may I help you into the truck?"_

_Beth blushed, the name making her heart flutter. "Why yes, Mr. Dixon. I would certainly enjoy that."_

_Daryl opened the door for her, shutting it only when he knew she was safely situated inside. He walked around to the driver's side, yanking the heavy door open, sliding inside. He cranked the engine and looked over to his smiling new bride. "Let's go home."_

Beth was grateful that she was facing away from Zach, looking out the window as the silent tears trailed down her face. She tried to discreetly wipe them away, sniffling as quietly as she could.

In that moment she knew what she had to do. She had to face her past. Remain strong. Lord knows that Beth could be strong. She had to deal with what happened so she could truly live in the here and now.

Yes, Beth knew exactly what she needed to do.

**SO there's chapter 5. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**As for chapter 6, it will be one of the longer chapters of the story, if not the longest. It's going to start showing what happened between Beth and Daryl and there's a lot to explain there. It won't explain everything but it will tell the story of where everything started to fall apart. I expect it to be a dramatic and emotional chapter so I hope ya'll are ready!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so here is the chapter that begins to tell a little more about Daryl and Beth.**

**There is also a little bit of smut so I hope you enjoy that ;)**

**Thank you again to Riain because I, and this story, would be a mess without her!**

It had been a week since blowing up at her father in their kitchen, and Beth was pleased to know that it didn’t cause any long term damage to their relationship. She had always been a daddy’s girl so the thought of fighting with her father for any length of time made her anxious. They had been talking more and more every day, blissfully ignoring the elephant in the room. Hershel had even been making more of an effort to get to know Zach, taking him out to the barn to teach him about the farm and all the work that went on to keep it running. On Sunday, her father even invited Zach to church. Zach hadn’t had the heart or the guts to tell the man he was an atheist. Zach went anyway, Beth couldn’t have been more proud of her man than she was in that moment.

Zach had been more than wonderful to Beth, who currently was not experiencing flashbacks, or vivid dreams that involved one Daryl Dixon. It quickly felt like her life was reverting back to being somewhat normal.

Normal felt good to Beth, they spent the days in town building on that normalcy. Beth had introduced Zach to some of her old friends, ones that were quite shocked but ecstatic that she had returned with a fiancé in tow. Maggie and Glenn had been coming around, often joining them for a late dinner at the diner after Annette packed dinner away for the night. That was when Beth felt the most normal, sharing a milkshake with her sister and listening to Glenn and Zach banter about cars. One night Zach had taken her out to a movie, almost roleplaying their first date all over again. He made Beth giggle, bought her the biggest bucket of popcorn (extra butter of course), and held her hand throughout the entire movie. He was reminding Beth what a perfect gentleman he was, something Beth was forgetting now that they were home. Her favorite thing to do with Zach was ride around fast down the empty back roads, feeling the breeze on her face, music blaring through the speakers. Zach had joked that she was just using him for his car, to which she responded that it may be the case but he loved her anyways.

After one of those drives, Beth and Zach ended up back on her family’s farm, out at the pond. They sat at the dock underneath the stars, Beth telling him about the time when she was twelve and her brother pushed her into the lake they were vacationing at that summer. Zach laughed as she told him how mad she got because the muddy water had stained her new Keds. He asked her if she would be mad if he pushed her in, but before she could respond, Zach had grabbed her and pulled her into the water as he pushed off the wood.

They both came up gasping for air; their laughter echoing through the night, the shock of the cold water not quite registering on their bodies. Beth had wrapped her arms around Zach’s shoulders and her legs around his waist. Her rigid nipples were visible through her t-shirt plastered against his chest. Without warning, Beth was kissing Zach, his fingers wrapping into her drenched hair.

After their intense make out session, which included them grinding their hormone ridden bodies together, they pulled themselves back up onto the dock and made love. The only sounds heard were breathy moans and panting. The lovemaking session would result in scratches all the way down Zach’s back, Beth knew he would have to hide.

The week had been a fresh of breath air for Beth after the rough couple of days she had. She wasn’t normally that emotional, but that was what happened when she ignored her problems and they came back to bite her in the ass.

It was exactly 10 days after her arrival back home that she dreamt of Daryl again.

_The leaves had started to turn and the kids were going back to school as September of 2009 rolled around. Beth and Daryl had been married for 5 months._

_They were currently out in the woods near their cabin, deciding to spend the night camping. Beth loved going camping with Daryl because she knew there was no one who enjoyed it more than he did. They had spent the day hiking, Daryl hunting with his crossbow as Beth thought that he was the only person who could convince her to eat squirrel._

_After roasting said squirrel over their campfire, the couple was currently on their way to working off the calories consumed during dinner. Beth was on top of Daryl, straddling his legs, topless from her hips up. Daryl’s button up shirt with the cut off sleeves, (that showcased his arms in such a way that it made Beth want to kneel before him and bring him to release with her mouth) had been all but ripped from his body, the fabric thrown a little too close for comfort by the fire. That was one less shirt in Daryl’s closet, not that he much cared at the moment. One large hand gripped her waist, the other was teasing her petite rosy nipples. Beth’s tongue was exploring Daryl’s mouth, only breaking contact to gasp when he would pinch her overly sensitive between his calloused fingers. He touched her in such a way that it made her feel as if her whole body was on fire._

_Beth was growing impatient, as was the norm when they had sex. Sitting up straight, she reached down quickly undoing his belt and popping the button on his jeans, barely getting the zipper down before she grasped him in her hands. He was rock hard, pre-cum smeared around the purpled head of his cock. Daryl’s grip tightened on her waist as she slowly stroked him, grinning. Beth slithered down his body until she was low enough that she could lean down and take him into her mouth. He groaned at the contact, his hands flying to clutch those pretty blonde locks. Her tongue swirled around his tip, gently scraping with her teeth._

_In that moment, Daryl felt that if he were to die now, he’d die a happy man. He chuckled   knowing no other man had seen Beth like he was seeing her now. Her head bobbing up and down on his cock, the ends of her hair tickling his skin. When she looked up at him, fire in those_ _cerulean diamonds stole the breath from his chest. Locking eyes with him Beth continued the assault with her mouth, Daryl just about lost it. He yanked on her hair, pulling her up to press a hungry kiss against her plump lips._

_He flipped them over, caging her between his body and the Earth, his hands going straight to the button of her jeans. He hauled the offending jeans down her legs, taking her underwear along with them. He only got them far enough so he had room to work, the denim still hanging from one of her ankles. She pulled her knees up, her legs fell apart, revealing her sopping wet pussy to him. He growled as he enfolded his arms around her thighs. The need to lap up her sweet juices burned in his mouth. Beth moaned feeling his tongue brush over that little bundle of nerves._

_“Mmm…you taste so good baby girl.” Daryl purred over her quivering flesh, Beth squirmed in pleasure._

_Daryl continued his ministrations, he could tell Beth was close by the way he was having to anchor her to the ground with a hand across her abdomen. He sucked on her clit, rolling it between his teeth as she let go, body shuddering beneath him with a high pitched yell._

_He barely gave her a moment to recover before he flipped her over onto her stomach, pulling her hips up into the air. He took a second to admire the ass before him, rubbing his hands along a cheek before giving it a solid smack. Beth pushed her ass back onto his hand, rubbing against him and giggling. Daryl smirked at his wife’s boldness, admiring this new turn of events._

_“Dirty girl.” Daryl smacked Beth’s ass once more for good measure, a squeak of pleasure escaping her mouth._

_Daryl gripped his cock in his hand; the other rested on base of her spine, as he teased her engorged lips with his cock. She moaned and wiggled underneath him, trying futility to get him inside her, without success._

_Daryl snarled, the animal within him barely at bay. “You want something baby girl?” All Beth could do was nod, needing him to fill her. “Tell me what do you want?”_

_“Fuck me, Daryl.” The words were laced with primal lust, a lust the animal fed off of._

_At those words, Daryl plunged into his wanton wife, feeling her walls clench around him and a yelp come from her mouth._

_“So fucking tight.” Daryl groaned at the pleasurable vibrations running from his cock up to the base of his skull._

_It seemed that no matter how many times they fucked, she still remained impossibly tight. Daryl had no idea how Beth did it, but he wasn’t about to complain. He started out with deliberate hard thrusts, each earning a short bark of pain from Beth. Soon the thrusts turned frantic and wild, Beth’s moans muffled by the blanket below them mixing with the sound of his balls slapping against her clit._

_“Aw fuck, I’m gonna cum.” Daryl roared, his hips pounding into Beth’s ass savagely._

_He leaned over her; one of his hands snaking over her hip, rough fingers reaching around to rub at her clit. Seconds later her walls were tightening around him as she came, pulling out Daryl’s release along with hers. His seed jetted deep within her inside, sapping Daryl of his strength, barely able to hold himself up. Beth was shattered, she collapsed beneath her husband, and effectively separating their sweat slicked bodies. Daryl was panting as he rolled over next to Beth, his hand moving to trace circles on her back. They laid there together, both trying to catch their breath as their fatigued bodies begged for sleep. Dressing in their clothes, now dirty from being thrown onto the dirt, Beth curled into Daryl’s side. She burrowed her face into his neck, sighing contentedly. They slept under the stars that night, not even bothering with the tent that sat only a few feet away._

_October came and went, Beth didn’t receive a visit from her monthly visitor. By November she was very late; combining that and the fact that she was throwing up almost every morning, Beth had a very good idea of what was going on._

_Early one morning, in the middle of the month, Beth was awoken by the sudden taste of bile in her mouth. Feeling her dinner from last night threatening to make its way back up her digestive system, she scrambled out of bed and made a mad dash towards the bathroom. Throwing herself in front of the toilet, Beth emptied the contents of her stomach and then some. Seeking a reprieve of her misery; Beth sat on the bathroom floor, her head resting against the cool wall. After that moment of rest, she stood up feeling much better than she had five minutes ago, maneuvering in front of the sink to brush the unpleasant taste out of her mouth._

_She considered the unopened pregnancy test that sat in her purse, remembering that she had read online that it was best to take the test first thing in the morning. Beth needed to know, it was now or never. If she didn’t do it now, she might never have the courage to do it on her own. Beth tip-toed back into the bedroom, over to the dresser upon which her purse sat. She pulled out the box, careful to walk backwards out of the room with the box hidden behind her back just in case Daryl chose that exact moment to wake up. When she was safely in the bathroom again, Beth took the test and sat there staring at the stick during the three minutes that the instructions had told her to wait. Those were the longest minutes of her life, Beth was unaware she was holding her breath. She turned the test over with shaky hands, her eyes scanning over the little pink plus sign. It was positive--she was pregnant._

_Now that it was a reality than she was indeed expecting, Beth didn’t want to keep this secret from Daryl for any longer. With the test still in her hand, she ran back into the bedroom, launching herself on top of Daryl. He shot up, almost knocking his head against hers in the process before grabbing her upper arms._

_“What’s wrong?” Daryl was immediately on alert, his voice gruff with tension._

_Daryl’s eyes darted around looking for any sign of threat before his gaze landed on Beth, who was smiling so wide that her cheeks were beginning to ache. He raised an eyebrow at her, loosening his grip on her body. She brought her hand up to show him the little white stick in her hands. Daryl’s eyes widened and it suddenly felt like his head was spinning. “Is that what I think it is?”_

_Beth’s smile never faltered as she nodded her head enthusiastically, “I’m pregnant!” She threw her arms around him, squeezing his neck. His hands went to her back, trying to pull her even closer to him._

_“I’m gonna be a dad?” His voice came out in a whisper, and Beth could hear the disbelief in his voice. She pulled back from him, worried that he wasn’t as happy about this as she was. When she saw his face, that fear quickly disappeared. His eyes were shining and there was the hint of the faintest smile tugging at his lips. Beth nodded, Daryl pulling her in for a sweet kiss, pressing his lips to hers for a few seconds before crushing her body into a hug once again. He repeated his words, but this time they came out as a statement. “I’m gonna be a dad.”_

Beth, who had grown used to dream-lacking sleep, woke with jerk. Her eyes shot open and no longer was she in bed with Daryl, sharing that tender moment with him. Instead she found herself back in her childhood bedroom, her body felt empty as the apple orchard outside her window. Barren, fruitless skeletons that once were beautiful with life. It was a change to the stabbing heart pains she usually got after dreams involving her husband, but this feeling didn’t comfort her either. She felt numb as she crawled out of bed, today was a day she had not been looking forward to, but one she wasn’t looking to avoid either.

Yesterday had been St. Patrick’s Day, Beth was pretty sure she would be the only one out of the group who went out last night to wake up without a hangover. Beth, along with Zach, Maggie, Glenn, and a few more of her friends from high school had ended up at Patton’s, most of them drinking green beer and Irish car bombs that would make any real Irish person scoff. Beth was not among those drinking, not being a fan of the holiday. Maggie and Zach had to beg her to go out. Beth conceded, happily volunteering for the position of designated driver. They hadn’t stayed out late, only till about midnight, Beth getting the honor of delivering the giggling drunks safely back to their homes.

She went to her closet, picking out a floral sundress, grabbed a fresh pair of panties with a matching bra before making her way down the hallway to the bathroom. She showered quickly, not bothering to wash her hair. Beth dressed hastily, not taking pleasure in the freedom the dress offered her flesh. Pulling a brush through her hair before pilling it on top of her head in a lazy bun, Beth looked at the face staring back in the mirror. There was no point in bothering with makeup, the dark patches under her eyes would need more than makeup to be hidden. She went to go check on Zach, knocking on the door, Beth didn’t receive a response. Poking her head inside, she saw Zach was sprawled out, claiming the entire double bed with his body. The covers that were laying at the foot of the bed had long since been abandoned through the restless drunken slumber of the night. Beth smiled before retreating, shutting the door as quietly as to not wake Zach. She figured he could use the extra rest to try and fight off the inevitable sickness that was to come, he wasn’t a drinker by any means. Alcohol got the best of him more often than not. Beth didn’t want to wake him anyways, she had something to do that she really didn’t want Zach involved with just yet.

Making her way downstairs, Beth realized her father was nowhere in sight. Annette, however, was found in the kitchen, drying the dishes she had just washed from Hershel’s breakfast.

“Morning Mama.” Beth walked over and pecked her mother on the cheek.

“Good morning Bethy.” Annette smiled at her daughter before returning her eyes back to the task at hand.

“I’m gonna head out for a while. Got something to take care of. Would it be alright if I borrowed the truck?” Zach’s car was sitting out front, but she didn’t want to take it without asking, effectively stranding him here on the farm.

Annette nodded, having an idea as to what Beth was going to do. “I reckon that’d be just fine.”

Beth walked over to the hooks that held all the keys, taking the set belonging to the truck and made her way towards the front door, yelling a thank you back at her mother.

 

 

**The next chapter is just…ugh, awesome (if I may say so myself).**

**Review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter made ME cry! Prepare the tissues…**

**And a huge thank you to Riain for helping work out the vision I had for this chapter. She puts my thoughts into words better than I can! I also want to thank her for helping with all the medical stuff. I am a nurse but I have very little knowledge of OB.**

**Anyways, here is chapter 7.**

_It was the middle of March, St. Patrick’s Day--2010. Beth, was an uncomfortable 6 months pregnant, had just finished putting away the freshly cleaned dishes. That nesting instinct had kicked in hard, Beth began making her nightly rounds of the house to make sure all the windows were closed and doors were locked. It was just after eleven, Daryl had retreated to bed a couple hours ago after coming home exhausted from work. He had been picking up extra shifts down at the truck shop off the interstate; where he turned wrenches on big rigs passing through, hauling goods somewhere else. Daryl wanted them to have a little extra money for when the baby arrived, knowing babies weren’t cheap. A large part of him wanted his child to have the life he didn’t have growing up, wanted that fresh and easy start in life for his baby. Daryl looked beat most of the time he walked in the house, barely making it through dinner before heading to bed. Beth hated to see him so wore out, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of it._

_Beth was about to double check the front door before she headed off to bed, when she heard Daryl’s phone ring from the charging station on the kitchen counter. She thought to herself that whomever was calling this late better have a damn good reason to want to wake Daryl after an 18 hour workday. Walking (that felt more like waddling) over to the countertop where the offensively ringing phone sat, Beth glanced at the caller ID to see it was Merle calling, it figured this late at night. She sighed, flicking the phone open and holding it up to her ear._

_Beth couldn’t hold back the disappointment in her voice, “Hey Merle.”_

_“That you Angel? Where’s mah baby brother at?” Beth felt like she could actually smell the alcohol on him through the phone. Merle was three sheets to the wind and then some, his accent thick and slurred to the point Beth really had to listen to understand what he was asking._

_“Yes, it’s me, and he’s asleep. It’s late Merle.” Beth crooked the phone between her ear and shoulder, gently bending over to fold up a blanket and throw it over the back of the couch as she continued on her rounds._

_“Ya well wake his ass up, I need a ride.” Merle snarled, Beth could feel herself flinch at the venom in his words._

_This didn’t surprise Beth that big brother needed a ride. Merle, who had been crashing on their couch most nights, when he wasn’t going home with some random piece of ass, was recently released from prison (drugs, of course). Merle was spending most of his time getting fucked up and calling Daryl whenever he needed transportation oblivious to the time and Daryl’s work schedule. It annoyed Beth to no end, but she was relieved that he at least wasn’t driving under the influence. He could be easily killed riding his bike drunk, and she didn’t want to think about what Merle dying would do to Daryl. Beth stood in the small living room, silently mulling over her options. She didn’t want to wake Daryl, he desperately needed the rest between the extra work and trying to do everything for her that he thought would endanger the pregnancy. Daryl was being a mother hen, and as much as Beth loved him for it, it was getting annoying._

_Making up her mind, she sighed again. “Where are you? I’ll come get ya, I don’t want to wake him up.”_

_“Oh Angel, you really got wings and a halo doncha?!” Merle laughed into the phone. It didn’t surprise her, he’d probably find anything humorous in his current state. Beth, however was not amused._

_“Where are you Merle?” She walked over to the front door, yanking Daryl’s big fluffy Kenworth hoodie out of the small closet, pulling it on._

_“Somehow I ended up down at Johnny’s.” She could hear the smirk in his voice, he knew she didn’t believe his bullshit._

_Beth rolled her eyes, knowing very well that Merle had went to the biker bar on purpose and didn’t magically ‘end up there’ like he claimed. Still, she grabbed the keys to her Jetta off the hook._

_“I’ll be there soon, just hang tight.” Beth ordered her drunk brother in law, knowing he would listen if she put a stern tone in her voice._

_“Will do, Angel.” Beth didn’t bother saying goodbye as she snapped the phone closed and set it back down on the counter before making her way out to her car._

_She shook her head as she cranked the engine of the older Jetta that she had since high school. Daryl had been tinkering with it lately to get it running just right for when the baby came. Beth spied the car seat belted into the backseat, a smile quirking her lips. ‘The things I do for him.’ She was referring to Daryl rather than Merle._

_Twenty minutes later, Beth was pulling up outside the dive bar, seeing Merle outside with a couple of creepy looking men surrounding him. He was laughing, slapping his hand on his knee, not even noticing Beth. Beth, who got more agitated every minute that had passed by on the drive over, huffed before honking the horn. She was getting that uncomfortable urge to pee, and she was not peeing in a biker bar. She would much rather pee on the side of the road than brave those nasty toilets._

_Merle looked over, a scowl plastered on his face until he realized it was his ride that was alerting him of their presence. He turned to his friends, clapping them each on the back before making his way over to Beth’s car. She noticed he was stumbling quite a bit, now feeling very grateful that he didn’t attempt the trek home by himself either walking or on his bike._

_Merle yanked open the door and all but threw himself inside. He struggled with the seat belt but Beth sat patiently, waiting for him to figure it out before she pulled out of the parking spot._

_“Nice night Angel?” Beth glanced at the inebriated passenger out of the corner of her eye._

_“The best. This is exactly what I wanted to do tonight.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Merle as he just barked out a haughty laugh._

_Neither of them noticed a truck, going just a little too fast down the small town road, that was rapidly approaching a stop sign, showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, they weren’t aware until it blew through the stop sign, slamming into the front of Beth’s Jetta, making it spiral out of control, flinging nose first into the solid embankment of the side ditch._

_It couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes later when Merle came to, hearing the sirens in the distance. His head was throbbing and could feel a cut on his face dripping blood, probably caused by hitting his head on the passenger window. It took him a moment, as his head felt foggy, to realize what had happened. The glass next to him was spider cracked from where his head impacted. Merle moved his arms and legs, relieved to know he still had all his appendages. Merle stared out the windshield, not seeing another vehicle in the road. He glanced over at Beth just as the ambulance and police cars pulled up._

_Her head was slumped back, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape, probably from the impact of the airbag deploying. He could see her left wrist turned at an impossible angle, most likely broken from getting caught between the wheel and the dash caving in. She head a deep cut across her cheek, seeing her window shattered. His mouth went dry as he looked down at her legs. Dark patches of blood was already staining the jeans covering her inner thighs._

_Merle thrashed against the seatbelt, suddenly feeling very confined in the tight space of the wrecked car. He was still struggling when the door to the car opened and a firefighter poked his head in._

_“Sir!” The firefighter yelled, attempting at getting Merle’s attention. “Please, we’ll have you out in just a minute!” Merle wasn’t hearing any of his words, finally succeeding in ripping the belt off, pushing the astonished firefighter out of the way before hauling himself out of the car._

_Merle was breathing hard, his chest heaving, trying to process what was going on. He glanced over at Beth, seeing that she hadn’t moved since he last looked at her. His chest felt tight, and Merle realized he was pacing up and down the road, not far from Beth’s totaled car._

_‘Daryl.’ Merle thought of his brother. The thought of Beth in her precarious state while Daryl was at home asleep made him let out an unsteady breath, trying to prevent himself from throwing up._

_The firefighters and paramedics were assessing Beth, most likely discussing her possible injuries and how they were going to get her out. Merle pulled his phone out of his pocket, peering at the now cracked screen, scrolling through the contacts until Daryl’s name popped up. Merle’s finger shook as he pressed send, holding his breath as he waited for his brother to pick up on the other end. He had to call two more times before Daryl finally did answer, his voice was laced with sleep as he grunted out a hello._

_“Baby brother, I gotta tell ya something but ya need to hold your shit together.” Merle tried to keep his own shit together, forcing himself to stop pacing and stand still. He knew if he didn’t Daryl would come unglued wondering what the fuck was going on._

_Daryl remained silent, waiting for Merle to continue. He figured he was probably calling because he got arrested or some stupid shit like that, which was the norm for Merle. It was then he noticed that Beth hadn’t been in bed with him and Daryl hadn’t seen her in the house when he went to answer his phone._

_“I called ya to come get me, but Beth answered and she came to get me down at Johnny’s, so ya could sleep. The fucking truck came out of nowhere, man.” Merle realized then he was talking faster than normal, the words tumbling out before he could stop them_

_“Truck?” Daryl’s voice cracked through the line, Merle’s heart sank as he answered his younger brother._

_“It came out of nowhere and just slammed into us. Beth…she don’t look too good.”_

_Daryl ran back to the bedroom, throwing on some clothes, trying to remain calm but failing miserably. “Where you at?”_

_Merle looked over and saw the emergency crews had gotten Beth out of the car and onto a stretcher. Her neck was immobilized by heavy duty neck brace and she was strapped down to a back board._

_Merle took a deep breath, keeping his emotions in check, “Meet us at the hospital baby brother.”_

_Daryl hung up as soon as Merle finished the sentence, he was already out the door and running for his truck by the time he’d stashed the phone in his hip pocket._

_The ride to the hospital felt like hours to Daryl, but at the rate at which he was driving, it was only minutes. He squealed into a parking spot, not even bothering to pull his keys out of the ignition as he ran inside._

_He found Merle sitting inside the ER doors, his bloody face resting in his hands._

_“Merle! Where is she?” Daryl skidded to a stop in front of his brother, his lungs burning from the mad dash into the ER from the parking lot._

_Merle’s head jolted up at hearing his brother’s voice. Daryl’s hair was sticking up at odd angles, one of the buttons on his shirt wasn’t done, and he hadn’t even bothered lacing his boots up all the way._

_Merle shook his head, “They took her back as soon as we got here. Told me to wait out here. Haven’t heard nothin’ yet.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft, which made Daryl even that more anxious._

_Daryl walked hastily over to the reception desk, nervous energy pouring through him. The older woman behind the desk looked up to him with tired eyes, “Can I help you, sir?”_

_Daryl nodded, trying to control his breathing. The longer it took for him to see Beth, the more he would lose control of his temper. “M’ wife…she was brought in from a car accident…Beth Dixon.”_

_The woman typed something into her computer and after a few clicks of her mouse, she looked back up at the man who looked like at any moment he could become hysterical. “I’ll go find someone to talk to you.”_

_Daryl just nodded and continued to stand where he was as the woman walked through a set of double doors, disappearing from his sight. He realized he was shaking by the time she returned, a man in green scrubs following closely behind._

_“Mr. Dixon?” The older doctor’s voice was even, practiced and full of sympathy as he addressed Daryl._

_“Beth? Is she okay?” Daryl could hear his own voice shaking as he struggled to breath._

_“We are going to have to take her into surgery.” The doctor went to reach out for Daryl’s shoulder, pulling his hand back when Daryl pulled away._

_Daryl’s breath hitched in his throat, knowing this meant he wouldn’t get to see her anytime soon. His heart stopped for a brief second, his thoughts flitting to that of his unborn child. If Beth needed surgery, was the baby ok?_

_“The baby?” Daryl’s voice was laced with obvious pain, this was his child that hung in the balance. If he had to choose, as much as it would kill him, he sent a quick prayer up to whomever was listening that they could take the baby, but spare his wife._

_The doctor’s kind eyes trained on Daryl, full of compassion for this young man who was facing a difficult situation. “Your wife has lost a large amount of blood. The baby is in distress. We did an ultrasound and found she has had a placental abruption. Basically the organ that gives oxygen and nutrients to the baby, has been partially separated from the uterus, making it difficult for the baby to get any oxygen into its blood. We’re going to have to make an incision into your wife’s womb and see what we can do. Beth also has a shattered wrist. We are going to have to go in and reconstruct the wrist as well as place surgical pins in it so it can heal right.”_

_Daryl couldn’t even form words, his world was swirling down the drain and he couldn’t get a grip on what was going on. He just nodded at the doctor, who left him standing there feeling like all the blood had been drained from his body._

_Hours later, Daryl and Merle were side by side in the uncomfortable surgical waiting room chairs. Neither had said a word, a cup of cold coffee faintly shook in Daryl’s hand. Daryl couldn’t think about anything but Beth and Merle was wondering what Daryl would do if something happened to either her or their kid._

_Daryl shot up out of his seat as the doctor from the ER came into the room, softly calling his name._

_“Mr. Dixon, your wife made it through the surgery. She lost a lot of blood, but we were able to stop the bleeding. It will be quite a while before she is able to use her wrist again, the damage was worse than we thought. She will have to wear a cast for the next four to six weeks and follow up with the orthopedic surgeon who did the work. We are going to have to keep her for a few days. Due to the blood loss, she’s going to need some blood transfusions as well.”_

_Daryl nodded, not quite comprehending what the doctor was saying as his mind was reeling. He did however pick up on the fact that Beth was okay for the time being, that calmed his nerves somewhat._

_The doctor continued to explain the situation, “While we assessed the damage to your wife’s uterus, I made the executive decision to deliver your son. Right now he’s upstairs in the NICU. We aren’t sure of his prognosis as he went without quite a bit of oxygen, and his organs are undeveloped with being born at 26 weeks.”_

_Daryl felt like his knees were about to give out, Merle laced an arm around his brother’s chest for support._

_“I have a son?” the words came out a broken whisper through Daryl’s constricted throat._

_The doctor nodded. “I can take you up to see him if you’d like.”_

_Daryl gave one sharp nod, leaving Merle to his own devices, as the doctor motioned for Daryl to follow him. After making their way upstairs, Daryl was led into a room that had so many machines he had never seen before. It was a helpless feeling, not knowing why his son needed all these machines. He couldn’t help but wonder how such a little person could need so many things. The doctor led Daryl to an incubator and inside; wrapped in blankets, with wires and tubes leading all over his tiny body was Daryl and Beth’s son._

_Daryl felt like he was dreaming, because there was no way this could be happening, that this was real. Daryl blinked looking into the incubator; his son was so very small. He couldn’t have weighed more than a couple pounds and Daryl was sure he could hold him in one hand. Daryl’s gut felt constricted and his heart was beating rapidly, taking in the sight of his newborn. The only thing he was hearing was the pounding of his heart over the blood rushing through his body._

_He snapped out of his shock when the doctor told Daryl he could touch his son. The doctor softly explained to Daryl that sometimes it helped when the premature babies have skin to skin contact with their parents._

_Daryl was shaking again by the time he reached inside the door-like hatch in the side of the incubator. The nurse made sure he washed his hands thoroughly, any debris could possibly cause a reaction to the fragile skin of his son. The nurse made sure that Daryl used his right hand, as the metal of his wedding ring could tear the baby’s paper thin skin. Daryl’s tanned hand looked huge in comparison to the tiny baby. He used the back of his knuckle and brushed it gently across the baby’s hand. The tiny fingers, stretched out of the fist they were tightly clenched in, wrapping around Daddy’s finger. Only then did Daryl start silently crying, knowing that his son recognized Daddy’s touch._

_An hour later, the doctor returned to check on baby Dixon. He found Daryl sitting in a chair beside the incubator, his forehead pressed against the glass, his hand next to the small hand pressed up against the opposite side of the glass. Gentle words were whispered into the cacophony of beeps and whirrs, words of prayer and love for the child fighting for his life._

_“I need to see Beth.” Daryl’s red eyed gaze cut through the surgeon’s heart, the older man nodded solemnly._

_“I’ll take you to her. She’s in the ICU.” The surgeon motioned for the door leading out into the halls of the hospital._

_Daryl took off after the doctor. He followed him throughout the hospital maze of hallways until they stopped outside a door to what he assumed was the room they were keeping Beth in._

_“She’s still a little out of it from the drugs, but she’s awake.” Daryl nodded, reaching out to grasp the door handle, edging the door open_

_Daryl stopped in his tracks when he saw her. His Beth was laying there in that big hospital bed hooked up to an IV as well as other machines, crying. She wasn’t sobbing, but she had a steady line of tears flowing down her cheeks, and every few seconds she would hiccup. She looked so small, fragile, and just…broken. He could see the bruising around her eyes, the split in her lip, the fresh stitches that adorned her cheek. Her left hand was casted to the elbow with what looked like overgrown sewing pins sticking out of it resting up on a pillow._

_Beth turned her bleary eyes on her husband, her vision blurry from the concussion, “Daryl.” He barely heard her whisper his name over the noise from the machines and the heater running in the room. Everything seemed way too loud and bright to her shocked senses._

_Only then did she really lose it, she started wailing uncontrollably as Daryl rushed over, carefully wrapping his arms around her. He felt tears prickling his own eyes again, he felt that same helplessness grip him that he felt when he met their son in the NICU. He tried to calm her, whispering things into her ear in hopes that one of the things he said might be the right thing to say. A nurse rushed into the room, checking Beth’s abdominal incision, the machines and asking if Beth was alright. The nurse pressed on asking if Beth needed more pain meds, or if the nurse could do anything for her. Beth waved her off through the tears, saying she was okay for the moment. Daryl smirked at his woman trying to be tough in the midst of what they were facing together._

_Ten minutes later, Beth’s sobs had subsided, her cheeks stained red with the drying tears. Daryl’s shirt was soaked with snot and tears._

_Still wrapped in Daryl’s arms, Beth croaked, “They said I couldn’t see him yet.”_

_Daryl let out a shallow breath, not knowing exactly what to say. “You gotta get better first baby girl.”_

_“I need to know that he’s o-“ she hiccupped mid-word, “okay.”_

_“I saw him.” The words came out so final that Beth’s heart seized in her chest._

_Beth pushed Daryl away from her and looked up into his face. She could see the bloodshot eyes, the red rims around his nearly clear eyes, indicating to her that she was not the only one who had been crying._

_Daryl continued, “He’s little. Real little. But he’s here and he’s okay right now.”_

_Beth just nodded, feeling so exhausted that she couldn’t even fight the drugs coursing through her battered system to look at Daryl anymore. She was so sore, so banged up, her emotions were all over the place from the shock to her hormones of the emergency c-section. It would be a long time before she felt anywhere like herself, and it would be even harder taking care of a premature baby with a casted arm and a healing incision in her abdomen._

_Daryl noticed his wife’s eyelids drooping. “Get some rest, I’m gonna go check on Merle and I’ll be right back, k?”_

_Beth didn’t even respond, she was already asleep before Daryl could lean over and kiss her bruised forehead._

_It would be another three days before Beth would get to meet her son. In those 72 hours, she started feeling a bit jealous of Daryl, who had spent a lot of time visiting their son, watching over him and holding him. Beth wasn’t even allowed to see pictures, and when she would ask the nurses about her son, they would assure her they would find out and report back to her, but they never made good on their promises._

_On Beth’s insistence that she would get out of the bed and walk to the NICU, the nurses wised up and transported Beth in a wheelchair up to the NICU. The pushed her until she was right in front of the incubator. Tears immediately sprang from her eyes as she laid loving eyes upon her son for the first time. It felt real, being this close to her son, even through the glass. She knew Daryl had now been with him for a few days, but this was their first meeting, of mother and son._

_The continual care nurses assured Beth that she could hold her son, that it would benefit them both through the healing process to touch. There was no way Beth was passing that offer up, even though it would be awkward with the cast on her arm. The nurse carefully uncovered Beth’s chest, gently telling the young mother to cradle her son against her breast. The warmth of her bare skin would keep him warm, calm him and help with the bonding process. Beth blushed, embarrassed to bare her chest around strangers._

_Daryl could see the distress in his wife’s eyes, his voice calming her. “Sweetheart, I’ve done it with him too. It’s how he gets to know we’re his ma and pa, by our scent.”_

_Beth’s eyes began to water, knowing that her husband hated anyone seeing him without a shirt on, that he would swallow his pride and bare his marred skin for his son._

_When the nurse helped lay the baby into her arm, Beth gasped at the featherlike weight against her breast. The baby’s rear nestled in her wrist, his legs and feet tiny in her small hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him-- like Daryl, she couldn’t believe how he was so small. She also couldn’t believe that something so beautiful had come from them, made from the love they had for each other. Beth didn’t even look up when Daryl started speaking to her, she was studying the tiny face and nose that looked so much like the man she loved._

_“We gotta name him. I wasn’t gonna name him without you Beth.”_

_Beth absently hummed a lullaby that she sang every night before going to sleep when she massaged her heavy belly, thinking over the options for a moment. “What about Andrew? We could call him Andy.”_

_Daryl smiled at his wife and son, “Andy…I like it.”_

_“Andrew Dixon it is.” Beth briefly took her eyes off the infant and smiled up at Daryl. For the first time in three days, she was happy. Her life was complete in this moment, holding her son with her husband by her side._

_Andrew James Dixon was born at 1:26 AM on March 18, 2010 weighing 1lb 14 oz, measuring 10 inches. He would continue to fight for his life with his parents by his side. Andy lost that fight at 5:17 PM on March 25, 2010._

**Hope you guys are starting to understand Daryl and Beth’s relationship. This is not the full story, there is much more to tell.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought!**


	8. Chapter 8

**This was another really emotional chapter to write. Hope you guys enjoy it though.**

**Again thanks to Riain, who is awesome in case you did not know that already.**

Beth had arrived at her destination, it had taken her over twenty minutes to drive there, even with having to take a detour with road construction. She spent another fifteen in the truck, giving herself a pep talk before she got up the courage to step out into the bright sunlight. It would be another ten minutes of walking around before she would end up sitting in front of her son’s final resting place. The mother took a moment to take in her son’s gravesite-- she read over the simple words etched into the marble stone. Those words epitomized how Daryl and Beth felt about their son Andy, who was taken too soon from their loving arms.

 

_Andrew James Dixon_

_May 18, 2010-May 25, 2010_

_So small, so sweet, so soon._

Beth closed her closed her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. She was trying to keep the tears at bay, but it would be nearly impossible. Today was her son’s birthday and she didn’t particularly want to spend the entire time graveside crying. Beth knelt down, feeling the slightly wet grass sink beneath her knees. She placed her hands in her lap, playing with hem of her dress. As she bowed her head, closing her eyes as memories swirled through her mind.

Beth breathed in deep, letting it out deliberately before she started to speak to the breeze blowing around her.

“God…I don’t know if you’re listening. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me so I hope you haven’t forgotten about me. I’m sorry I haven’t prayed in a while but I guess I just kind of lost faith.” Beth shook her head lightly before continuing, knowing her choice of words wasn’t the best.

“I was so mad…I’m still mad. Everyone kept telling me this was all part of your plan.” A single tear slipped down her cheek before splashing onto her dress; Beth blinked the others down her cheeks, not wanting to unfurl her hands.

“I guess I never understood why. I still don’t. Why would you take him away from us? Were we being punished?” Beth asked her questions to which she knew she would never get a response, but she had to get the words out, even if it was to make herself gain a bit of peace.

“Taking him away caused us so much pain. It still hurts.” Beth’s knuckles curled around the hem of her dress, scrunching it up before releasing, smoothing her hands down to straighten out the material.

“For whatever reason...he’s up there with you.” Beth looked up to the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and pointed. “You better be takin’ care of him.” Letting the accusing hand fall back down to her lap, she continued. “I guess I just need some strength from you right now. Maybe some guidance, I don’t know. So please God, help me be strong…help Daryl be strong.” Beth sighed, “And take care of my little boy.”

After finishing her one sided conversation with the Man upstairs, Beth lowered her gaze back to the grass beneath her. She reached over, seized some in between her fingers, yanking it free. She had been pilling the torn grass for a few minutes before she finally mustered up the courage to tilt her head up and stare at the headstone once again. She had reminded herself that this is why she was here--to spend her little boy’s birthday with him. Not wallow in the anger of God taking him from her, but celebrating his short life that she loved with every fiber of her being.

Beth cleared her throat before speaking again, but this time she was talking to Andy. “Hey baby boy. Mama’s real sorry I haven’t been here in a while.”

 _‘Not for almost 4 years’_ Beth thought to herself.

“I, uh, had to go away. Your daddy and I, we weren’t getting along so well. Some stuff happened and I had to get away from here. It hurt being here without you. So I went up to New York thinkin’ I’d be able to become some big star.” Beth chuckled and shook her head.

“Turns out, it wasn’t meant to be. I went from being a small town waitress to a big city waitress. I ended up at a community college…took some classes here and there, but I guess I never really did much.” Beth stopped talking momentarily to readjust her knees which were now stained with dirt and grass.

“I met someone. His name is Zach. We’re supposed to be getting married. So I came home to work out some stuff with your daddy. It’s been hard…seeing him again after all this time. Makes me wonder what it would have been like if I hadn’t run away. Makes me wonder if you were still with us, how would things be?”

Biting her lip, Beth thought about how her little boy might look now. He’d probably have Daryl’s blue eyes, and her blonde hair. He might have some freckles, but she knew he’d have a big ol’ smile. Daryl and Beth had wanted everything for their son, Daryl especially. They would have done anything to make sure he was happy.

“You’d be turning four today and I’d bet you’d be stubborn and independent just like your daddy. I know you’d be a mama’s boy though. I bet we’d be havin’ a big party for you at your Granddaddy’s farm, getting loved on and spoiled by everyone. Your daddy would probably try to give you a little crossbow while I insisted you were too young for it, and he’d tell me it was just a toy, nothing to worry about. But I would worry about you ‘cause that’s what mom’s do. Moms are supposed to love you, worry about you, and protect you.”

Beth finally let the wetness pooling in her eyes silently fall. “I’m so sorry. Mama’s so sorry. I didn’t protect you, I failed you. If only I had taken the time to wake Daddy up to go get Uncle Merle, that accident never would have happened and you’d be here with us. I’m so sorry baby.” Beth’s breath hitched as she tried to prevent herself from losing control.

“Happy birthday baby. I love you, always remember that,” Beth finished as she reached out to glide her fingers over Andy’s name.

A voice coming from behind startled Beth, she visibly jumped.

“Surprised you even remember where it is.”

Beth’s hand dropped from Andy’s name at hearing _his_ spiteful tone, Beth shivered at the chill in his words. The comment was like a slap in the face for her; she had already been feeling guilty for not being here, but at being called out on it by Daryl, she lost it. Normally, Beth would snap right back at him, but after sitting here grieving over her son, ripping open the old wounds, she just cried. Her face tightened up like she was in pain, as she let out a sob. Beth’s chest was heaving irregularly, snot dripped freely out of her nose. She finally allowed herself to feel after years of being numb. Beth thought of her son, her failed marriage, and her family. She couldn’t keep up with the emotions coursing through her, Beth fell backwards, her hands catching the ground behind her as she went to pieces.

Daryl’s face was in a scowl. When he came here today, he didn’t think he’d run into Beth. He had heard her talking to their son and he felt pity for the woman in front of him, but that didn’t begin erase the animosity he felt. He walked forward, placing something down on top of the headstone.

Beth looked up, red faced with blurry vision, to see what he was doing. Only then did she notice the four toy cars that sat in front of the stone. They varied in size, color, and shape- each being age appropriate for each of Andy’s birthdays. The older they were the more faded they had become by the sun, the toys had stood, waiting for their owner to come and play with them, virtually untouched for years. Seeing this, how Daryl had been coming to visit their son and she had not, made Beth cry even harder.

Daryl looked back Beth, she looked pathetic. He was starting to feel bad for the comment he made, but there was no taking it back now…and there was no way in hell he was going to apologize. While it came out harsher than intended, he believed the statement to be true. Still, seeing her sitting there like that, completely helpless, made Daryl feel like he had gone back in time to when they had first lost their son. Beth had been inconsolable and he hadn’t had any idea what to do. He didn’t really have any idea what to do now either, but he knew he had to do something.

He stepped closer and sat down next to her, his knees up and his forearms dangling off of them. He stared at her for a moment then sighed. He lifted an arm up, gently placing it around her shaking shoulders. It was awkward and clinical, not how he was used to touching her. Beth, however, didn’t see it that way. She launched herself at him, almost knocking him onto his back, throwing her arms around his neck. Beth was crying into his shoulder, he felt the wetness of her tears on his skin. Lifting up his other arm, he wrapped it around her and hugged her to his chest, there was no avoiding the contact now.

They sat there like that for a while, grieving for their son together. Daryl had even shed a couple tears, the weight of the circumstances pulling him under with his wife. Only after Beth had exhausted herself into a whimpering, sniffling mess, did Daryl let go. He stood up, brushed his hand down her shimmering hair, silently walking away.

When Beth got herself somewhat put back together, she wondered if what had happened with Daryl was real or if her grief stricken mind had been playing a cruel joke on her. She couldn’t deny it happened, not when she looked up and saw those four little cars taunting her.

 

**As always reviews are always appreciated and encouraged (and begged for).**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9…getting to see a glimpse into the mind of Daryl.**

**Bigger author’s note at the end of the chapter!**

Daryl was sitting in his truck, one hand on the wheel, the other hanging out the window. His palm was out, fingers spread as he grasped at the wind as he flew down the dirt road that led to his cabin. Pulling up in front of the small house, he shut the truck off, slamming the door behind him.

Daryl stalked over to the fridge in the tiny kitchen, yanking it open and pulled out a beer. He didn’t even bother moving before he popped the can open, guzzling the can dry. Tossing the empty can in the sink, he grabbed another before he made his way over to his couch and plopped down, legs sprawled out before him. He opened his fresh drink and took a long sip as his eyes became unfocused with the instant hit of alcohol to his weary system.

Daryl sat there staring straight ahead, but he wasn’t actually looking at anything. The only thing in his mind was Beth. When he saw her at Patton’s that night, he felt like it was some sick dream. There was no way she had come back, not after all this time. She was understandably different but just as beautiful as the day they had met in the diner. His first reaction was to reach out and kiss her, holding onto her and never letting go. Instead he opened his mouth, an eloquent _‘Aw fuck’_ spilling out of his lips. Looking into those eyes, the ones that reminded him of the ocean, he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. And then she was gone. She had turned around and quickly made her way out of the crowded bar and out into the night. Out of instinct, he followed.

She was sitting up against that nasty wall, the one that he had fucked some skanks up against after Beth had left him. The memories made his gut clench. They shared some words, and then that fucking fresh faced kid poked his head out the bar door. _Her fiancé_ , he had found out. Daryl distinctly remembered wanting to punch something, preferably the city boy shithead. Instead, he bailed. He all but ran back to his truck, needing to get out of there before he did something he regretted. As much as he succeeded that at the bar, he ended up doing it before the night was over.

_Daryl was currently in the nearest gas station, buying a bottle of Jack and a pack of smokes. As he was paying for his purchases, someone walked up next to him, placing a warm hand on his arm. His first instinct had been to flinch, but when he saw who was invading his personal space, he just thought ‘fuck it’, it had been too long. Mandy was some girl he had met one time at the bar while out with Merle. She had long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes, just like Beth. That was the reason he had screwed her more than a few times out back of the bar, or in a bathroom stall. If he squinted his eyes just right, and she didn’t talk, he could pretend it was his Beth._

_“Evenin’ Daryl” she all but purred into his ear._

_Daryl grunted in response, he didn’t want to socialize. That’s what was good about Mandy, no need to talk her up to get her out of her panties. He gathered up his items and nodded towards his truck as he made his way outside. Mandy followed him, hopping into the passenger seat like she fucking owned the place._

_Daryl drove them a few minutes away from the gas station, to the secluded truck stop he worked at off the interstate. Nobody was around except the truckers asleep in their trucks in the back end of the parking lot. He killed the engine and grabbed for the bottle of whiskey. Quickly opening it, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a long swig. It burned as it made its way down his throat, but that didn’t matter to him. He embraced the burning pain like an old lover. Mandy had removed her seatbelt and scooted closer to him as he placed his arm up on the back of the bench seat, his other hand holding the booze._

_She turned towards him, placing a hand on his thigh as she started sucking on his neck. That was the thing with these whores, he’d never kiss them. They didn’t taste like Beth did, all pure and sweet. He brought the bottle to his lips again, taking another drink, trying to numb his mind. He had a good buzz going by the time she had pulled his cock out of his pants and brought it to her wet, willing mouth. Daryl closed his eyes, trying to convince himself it was Beth’s mouth sucking him. He failed miserably, not being able to get past the fact that Mandy didn’t know just how he liked it. Beth would nibble and tease while this broad just went straight to it, taking him into her mouth and sucking like there was no tomorrow._

_After a couple more drinks, he decided he was drunk enough to fuck her. He pulled her onto his lap and she straddled his legs. The one thing he did like about this broad was that she was always wearing some little skirt. He put one hand on her hip, the other going between them to push her panties aside before he speared her down onto him. He pictured Beth as Mandy rode him, her ass hitting the steering wheel so hard she’d probably have bruises. He even had said her name as he fucked her, which made Mandy madder than hell. It sobered him up real quick when he realized it wasn’t Beth above him. He pushed Mandy off, further angering the blonde, and he forced his half hard cock back into his jeans. Hell with getting off-- that was already wasted. Daryl ended up taking her back to the gas station before going home to pass out. His thoughts as he drifted to sleep were once again of Beth, and even in his dreams he couldn’t escape her._

Daryl shook his head and took another long drink of his beer as he recalled screwing the slut in his truck. Not one of his better decisions. Before that, he hadn’t had sex in well over a year. He had spent a lot of time messing around with any willing bitch after Beth had left him. When he eventually realized it never made him feel the same as it had when he was with her, he had stopped--only occasionally giving into the urge. Sex was never something he felt like he _had_ to do. Instead it was something he felt like he _should_ do, at least until he met Beth. There were times where he felt like if he couldn’t have Beth at that exact moment, he would die.

Daryl tried to stop thinking about it as he felt his cock twitch in his jeans. Damn thing had a mind of its own when it came to _her_ \- his wife.

Thinking about seeing her today made those thoughts leave his mind and put his dick in check. The way she looked while crying, so utterly hopeless and full of despair, along the way she had expressed her anger with God, and the way she had talked to their son…those thoughts made Daryl’s chest ache. Thinking about her made his chest hurt so bad sometimes he thought he was having a heart attack.

She had looked so broken, just like she had been for weeks after Andy died.

 

_Daryl and Beth had just arrived back at their house after leaving the hospital. Beth was uncomfortable to say the least, being back. She had lived at the hospital, even after she had been released, to watch over her newborn son. She had left a week ago pregnant, and now she was returning without a baby in her womb or arms._

_Numb. That was the only way to describe what she felt. She had cried when she had say goodbye to Andy, since then she hadn’t said a word. Beth cried as she held her son one last time, but as the nurse took him away the tears had stopped and had yet to return._

_Daryl had been worried about Beth since they had left the hospital, and he wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do. If she had been crying he would have consoled her. Hell, if she had been pissed he would have sat there and listened to her let her anger out at the world. This, however, was unfamiliar territory._

_When they entered their home, Beth immediately went to the bedroom. Daryl followed her back, seeing her standing there staring at the crib he had put together the day before the accident. He’d got up early that day and fought to get the damn thing together, Merle and him bickering back and forth the entire time. Beth had laughed at them having a good brotherly bonding moment. Standing in that silent bedroom, Daryl walked up behind Beth, engulfing her in his arms, his chin on top of her head._

_“I want it gone.” The words were emotionless and cold. He balked at hearing them come from his wife._

_Daryl stepped back, and turned her around so she was facing him. “What?”_

_“I want it out of this house. I want it gone.” Beth still had no expression on her face as her dull eyes stared into Daryl’s._

_“Okay…I’ll take it over to your pop’s house. He’ll let us store it in the attic.”_

_“No. I want it gone. All of it. Take it to a thrift store, burn it, I don’t care. I don’t want it anymore.”_

_Daryl furrowed his eyebrows, he didn’t want to get rid of their son’s things but he wasn’t about to tell Beth that. He just nodded his head before pulling her in for a one-sided hug, Beth’s arms hanging down at her sides. “Okay.”_

_When Daryl got home from disposing of the baby items, he found Beth in their bed. That’s where she stayed for the next few days, only leaving to use the bathroom. She had been in that bed a week before Daryl got sick of seeing her laying there like she was dead, not eating or bathing or speaking. He didn’t understand. He felt like he wasn’t able to grieve for his son’s death because he was busy trying not to lose his wife._

_Three days after they had returned home, Daryl brought Beth some beef stew that her mother had brought over. He set the bowl on the table next to the bed before sitting down next to her._

_“Ya gotta eat somethin’ Beth. Ya can’t keep going on like this.”_

_Beth didn’t say a word but she did faintly nod her head. Daryl was pleased that she was at least agreeing to eat. He was about to hand her the bowl when he decided against it. Instead, he kept it in his hands and dished up a spoonful, bringing it up to Beth’s mouth. She took the bite slowly and held it in her mouth before she swallowed._

_Daryl sat with her, feeding small bites to her until the bowl was empty. He set it down on the table and pulled the covers off her. Beth gave him a questioning look, not sure what he was doing. Daryl scooped Beth up into his arms, hugging her to his chest. Beth didn’t have the energy to try and fight him anymore._

_“Gonna take a bath now. Ya stink worse than I do.” If Beth had been in the mood for any type of humor, the comment would have made her smile. She just nodded again._

_Daryl took her into the bathroom, setting her onto the toilet while he drew up the bath. He put in her favorite lavender bubbles that he usually teased her about, but secretly loved the smell of. When the water was ready, he turned to Beth and started pulling her clothes off without much help or resistance._

_Daryl helped Beth up, luckily she got the hint that this was going to happen whether she liked it or not. She stepped into the bath and sat down, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. Daryl gently tugged on her left arm, pulling it up and hung it over the side of the tub so her cast didn’t get wet._

_He left for a moment, returning with a big plastic cup. Daryl sat down next to the tub, scooping up some water, pouring it over her hair. After a few scoops, Beth’s hair was dripping. He grabbed her shampoo and poured it into his hands, rubbing it around a little bit before he brought his fingers up to her hair and began to wash. Beth closed her eyes when Daryl started to massage her scalp, washing away the dirt and grease._

_When Beth’s hair was completely covered in bubbles, Daryl used the cup again to rinse it. Beth kept her eyes closed the whole time. Daryl grabbed a washcloth and poured some soap on it before scrubbing her body clean. Beth was basically limp, she wouldn’t even hold up her arm as he washed her. By the time he was done, her skin smelled fresh and was tinged pink._

_Daryl got Beth out of the tub, dried her off, and carried her back to their bedroom, setting her down on the chair the laundry basket usually sat on. He changed out the bed sheets and the blanket so he could run them through the wash, she didn’t need to be laying in filth after getting clean. Daryl went over to the dresser pulling out a pair of his boxers and a t shirt. Daryl dressed Beth in his clothes before he had her lay down and he covered her back up with a blanket._

_Only when she was all tucked into bed, did Beth’s vacant eyes finally met Daryl’s._

_“I love you.” She had said it so quiet that if Daryl weren’t an expert hunter, he doubted he would have heard it._

_The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile as he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, smoothing her hair back. “I love you too baby girl.”_

_Daryl thought that day would be the beginning of progress. In the next few weeks, Beth stopped lying in bed like a zombie, finally opting to walk around and do little chores around the house. But the slightest things set her off, it was like walking on eggshells. Daryl couldn’t even count how many times he had held her while she cried. He wasn’t even sure how someone so small could produce so many tears. By the third week, Daryl didn’t know if he could take it anymore. He understood, more than anyone, what she was going through, but he was starting to get mad. Daryl had lost a child too and hadn’t gotten the opportunity to cry, or be mad, or even lay in bed all day pretending like the world didn’t exist. It was mid-April when he first called up Merle to go out, who had been staying with friends, not wanting to intrude on the grieving couple. That was the smartest thing Merle ever did. Reaching out to Merle would later be one of Daryl’s greatest regrets._

Daryl would have loved to stay there at the cemetery and hold Beth for hours as they sat in front of their son’s grave, but his anger had gotten the better of him. He was the one who had been going there for years, always on Andy’s birthday and whenever else Daryl could. He felt like Beth was intruding and he didn’t want to be there with her. That time was reserved for him and his son. He’d left, knowing he would return again later to have time without Beth.

The worst of all was that he had felt so comfortable while holding her. She smelled the same, her skin just as soft. This pissed Daryl off even more because he knew there was no denying he was still in love with Beth Dixon.

Daryl downed the rest of his can as he stood up, making his way into the kitchen again. He threw the empty into the sink and pulled open the fridge to grab another. Right now he planned on getting drunk, in the comfort of his own home, so maybe his mind would give him a break from the thoughts of the pretty little blonde.

 _‘Unlikely’_ Daryl snorted, chugging the beer in his hand.

 

 

**So wanted to address a couple things.**

  1. **I know a lot of you aren’t liking Beth at the moment, and that’s totally okay. Beth doesn’t even like Beth right now. With that being said, we haven’t seen the whole story yet and I just wanted you to know Daryl is not innocent in all this either. I hope by the end of the story you guys will learn to like Beth.**
  2. **I mapped out the rest of this story and it’s looking like it’s going to be 16 chapters unless something major changes. Just wanted to let you know so you have an idea of what to expect.**
  3. **I will either be doing an epilogue chapter or an entire sequel, depending on what you guys want so want.**



**As always, a huge thank you to Riain for being an amazing beta! (You guys should definitely check out her new smutty oneshot titled Animals)**

**Let me know what your thoughts are on the chapter and all this!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So this chapter is kind of fluffy, showcasing Beth’s relationship with her parents but she has a realization at the end of the chapter, setting up for what may be one of my favorite chapters in the story and probably not for the reason you guys might think. ;)**

**Chapter 10**

It had been exactly one week since Andy’s birthday. Beth hadn’t seen Daryl since he had left after comforting her at the gravesite, but that didn’t surprise her because she had been staying on the farm for the most part.

Zach had left four days ago back to New York. One of the guys in his office had gotten sick. Apparently the bosses needed Zach back there to fill in and pick up the slack. So he had taken his shiny muscle car and made the long trek back up to New York, expecting Beth home in a couple weeks after she got everything taken care of.

The last few days had been spent helping her father with things around the farm and her mother with things around the kitchen. Beth was trying to keep that bond she had with her parents, even though she wasn’t home much. Today was one of those baking days with her mother. Beth walked into the airy kitchen and greeted her mother by kissing her on the cheek.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Beth couldn’t help but smile, this was one of her favorite places on the farm.

“Strawberry rhubarb pie…your favorite.” Annette smiled over at her youngest, it made her heart sing to see Beth bright and happy.

“Gosh, I haven’t had that in years, mama.” _‘Almost 5 years to be exact.’_ Beth thought to herself, a forced smile on her face hiding the memory.

_Daryl and Beth decided to wait to tell her parents they had finally gotten hitched, so for the time being she was still living in their house until she could find a way to break the news. This was not very convenient for the newlyweds who would much rather be locked up in Daryl’s cabin, spending all day and night consummating their marriage, only stopping to refuel and shower (together, naturally)._

_Two weeks had passed and the secret was still kept… well… it was until Annette went to the grocery store. As the cashier rang up the purchases, Annette and Margie made small talk. They attended the same church and quilting group, the two women were friendly towards each other. Once the food had been bagged, just as Annette was about to leave, the older overweight cashier with graying hair called out “Oh by the way, congratulations on the marriage!”_

_Annette stopped, turning to face Margie again looking quite confused. “It’s a little late for that. Hershel and I have been married for well over 20 years now.”_

_Margie simply laughed, waving her off. “Oh no dear. I meant about Beth and that Dixon boy getting married.”_

_Annette was thankful her jaw was attached to her head because otherwise it would have fallen right off as her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”_

_Now it was Margie’s turn to look confused. “They got married, didn’t they? Well, I guess that’s just what everyone assumed when Doris saw them skipping out of the courthouse all dressed up.”_

_At this point, Annette thought her mouth might have opened so much that they were going to have to come sweep it up off the floor. She quickly shut her mouth before she started catching flies and gave a tight lipped smile. “Oh yes…thank you.” Annette nodded and quickly turned, nearly running out of the store to get to her car. She needed to get home to her husband and find out what was really going on from her daughter. Why would Beth get married without telling her parents? Was she pregnant?_

_As soon as Annette was home, she ran inside to go find Hershel or Beth, leaving the bag of groceries sitting in the car. She found Hershel first as Beth was not home from work yet._

_“There’s somethin’ I need to talk to you about.” It came out rushed, her face was flushed red from the emotions threatening to boil over._

_Hershel set his glasses down on the table, gently closing his bible. “What’s wrong?” He hadn’t seen his wife so worked up in quite a long time, at least since Maggie was caught shoplifting at the pharmacy in town a few years ago._

_“I was just down at the grocery store and Margie told me that Doris saw Beth and Daryl coming out of the courthouse!” The words tumbled out of Annette, tears hot on their heels._

_Hershel put his hands up, silencing his wife. “Slow down. Beth and Daryl were doing what?”_

_Annette sighed, frustrated at Hershel needing another explanation. “They got married Hershel.” Annette suddenly broke down into tears. “My baby got married and didn’t even tell me!”_

_Hershel was madder than a hornet, but he wasn’t crying. He was silently fuming, feeling very betrayed by his daughter and her now husband. His little girl had married Daryl without even telling them, what was a good enough reason to hide something that was supposed to be a joyous occasion? Hershel normally didn’t have a problem with the youngest Dixon, as long as he treated his little girl with respect, but **he** was the one feeling very disrespected at the moment. _

_“Are you sure?” Hershel fought to keep the anger out of his voice, he didn’t want to upset his wife any more than she already was._

_“Well I haven’t seen Beth yet, we’ll just have to wait and ask her.” Annette sniffled as Hershel pulled her into his strong arms. Right now, he needed to be there for his wife. He would deal with his unruly child later._

_Two hours later, Beth came home from her shift at the diner. She walked into the house, digging through her purse trying to find her cellphone. She usually texted Daryl to let him know she was off work and made it home okay. Beth stopped in her tracks when she noticed her parents sitting there looking like they were waiting for her._

_“Hi mama…daddy.” Beth was a little nervous to see her parents just sitting there staring at her. Something was going on, guilt filling her gut like a field stone._

_“Come sit down, Beth.” Hershel motioned towards the chair in front of him and Annette, his tone level._

_Beth set her purse down on a table sitting next to the door, moving to sit with her parents._

_“Is something wrong?” She was starting to get a little worried, her parents needing to talk to her like this was something that was typical for Maggie, not for Beth._

_“Your mother heard something down at the store today.” Hershel filled in one of the blanks for his youngest, knowing she was smart enough to fill in the rest._

_“Oh?” Beth tried to play stupid, but she knew her parents saw right through her, as much as she hated being so transparent._

_“Seems Doris saw you and Daryl leaving the courthouse…looked a bit like you guys might’ve gotten married.” Hershel continued, perturbed that Beth tried to play stupid, he knew better than that as much as his daughter didn’t believe so._

_‘Shit.’ Beth thought to herself. She wanted to tell her parents herself when the time was right, not have them hear it from some sixty year old gossip. “Well…I was waiting for the right time to tell you guys but yeah, we got married.” Beth smiled in hopes that they might just skip over being hurt and upset and go straight to congratulating her._

_She wasn’t that lucky._

_Annette burst into tears for the second time that day, not being able to get words out even if she wanted to. Hershel looked hurt for a moment before his face went blank._

_“You need to leave.” The finality of the words Hershel spoke were not lost on anyone. Even Annette’s eyes snapped up to him, looking at this stranger sitting next to her holding her hand._

_“What? Daddy, I’m sorry, we just thought it was better for us if we didn’t tell anyone.” Beth stuttered, her heart pounding in her chest so hard she wanted to cry._

_“You want to get married without even letting us know, disrespecting me and giving your mother a broken heart, that’s one thing. But since you’re a married woman now, you are Daryl’s responsibility, being he is your husband.” Hershel ran his fingers over his wife’s trying to keep her from going hysterical._

_Beth was speechless. She knew her parents would be angry but she didn’t think her dad would actually throw her out. She had been planning on moving in with Daryl when they finally did tell her parents, but she never thought that her father would be turning his back on her, nor that her mother would just sit by and let it happen._

_She got up without saying a word and went into her bedroom, grabbing most of her clothes, shoving them into a suitcase before making her way back downstairs. Beth grabbed her purse off the table by the door and walked out, not looking back._

_It had been another week before she would speak to either of her parents again. Beth and Daryl were sitting on the couch, watching that same static filled picture on the old TV when there was a knock at the door. Daryl got up to answer, instantly stiffening when he saw who it was. He wasn’t sure whether or not Hershel would punch him for marrying his daughter in secret, or if he was going to punch Hershel for treating Beth the way he had._

_“My daughter around?” Hershel questioned the young man lightly, he was just worried about his children, now that Daryl was his son-in-law._

_Daryl simply nodded and walked to the couch, telling Beth that the door was for her._

_She was shocked to see her father standing there with a dish in his hand, which she was now noticing contained her favorite type of pie: Strawberry rhubarb._

_“Hey Bethy.” Beth skipped the pleasantries, running towards her father, tackling him in a hug that almost knocking the pie out of his hand had Hershel’s reflexes been any slower._

_Hershel was never one to stay mad at his daughter for long._

Beth smiled softly at the memory. It warmed her heart to know that even though Hershel may get mad at his daughter every now and then, he had shown her that he always will love her.

After finishing helping with the pie, Beth went up to her bedroom to clean up a little. As she was organizing her shoes, she noticed that her favorite of cowboy boots were no longer in her room. They were the ones Daryl had bought her for her 20th birthday. Daryl had never missed an opportunity to make fun of her for them because they were bright pink mixed with dark brown. Beth went and asked her mother if she had any idea where they might be.

“I think I might have put them up in the attic with some of your other things.” Annette answered, putting the pie on the table for dinner. Beth thanked her mother and decided to go look for them up in the attic.

The attic was messy, to say the least. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere, junk piled throughout. She spotted a large box with her name written on it and figured that might be a good place to look. Just as she was prying the box open, something further back in the shadows of an armoire caught her eye.

It was the crib – Andy’s crib to be specific-- sitting there amongst the random Greene family heirlooms. She distinctly remembered telling Daryl to get rid of the crib and the other baby items that belonged to Andy, and to _not_ take them to her parent’s house. Beth realized he had probably not wanted to let go of the items, because they were parts of him, parts of her, parts of Andy. Daryl had worked so hard to get them, putting in long hours away from home at the shop, Andy could have nicer things than he did. She thought his line of thinking might have been that it would have felt like getting rid of their son altogether. Beth quickly remembered that Daryl was never one to keep solid items around, he was not a materialistic person.

It was then that Beth had realized why Daryl kept the crib, and all other baby related things surrounding it. She almost smacked herself in the head at not seeing it before…it because he had wanted to keep them for their future children, if they were to have any. Beth was touched that even in that dark time, Daryl still knew he wanted a family with her.

Beth abandoned the box that she had been opening. She ran downstairs, bolting out the front door, ignoring the questions her mother was yelling at her. Beth ran for the stable, saddling up Nellie, kicking the mare into a full bore run towards the road. She needed to talk to Daryl right now.

**Once again, huge thanks to Riain!!! And a HUGE thank you to everyone reviewing, especially the ones coming back chapter after chapter!**

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is chapter 11. It was one of my favorites to write! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

Beth loved the feeling of the raw power of Nellie between her legs as she rode to Daryl’s cabin. She felt the wind blowing through her hair, the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. Beth had to hear from Daryl with her own ears in his own words why he decided to keep Andy’s baby items against her wishes. She knew he would have a good reason, this was Daryl, and he didn’t do anything without having a good reason.

Nellie was slathering and foaming when they arrived at the cabin. Beth picketed Nellie to the rail that Daryl built under the shady maple tree in the front yard just for this reason when he and Beth were dating. She was surprised to see that the water through was still there, Beth pulled the garden hose out from the side of the house and filled the trough with clear clean water for Nellie.

“Thank you girl for getting me here. I promise you when we get home I’ll brush you down and give you a treat.” Beth nuzzled her face against the mare’s cheek, getting a bluster in response. She patted Nellie’s side before walking up to the front porch of the cabin.

Beth stood at the all too familiar front door of the cabin for a moment, trying to decide if she had lost her nerve or not. When she thought about the last couple weeks and how she felt when she found the baby items in her parent’s attic, she knew she couldn’t chicken out now and she quickly knocked on the door. Waiting, she didn’t hear any sounds in the house indicating that Daryl might be coming to the door. She thought she might have knocked too softly and so she rapped on the door one more time, beating her fist on the aging wood.

Realizing that Daryl probably wasn’t home, she peeked in the window. Beth couldn’t see anything as there was a heavy curtain in the way. She sighed while putting her hands on her hips and turned around, preparing to grab Nellie and ride back to the farm, when she remembered the hidden key.

Beth walked over to the mailbox out by the road, feeling the underside of the rusty box until her fingers hit the jagged edge of the key that was taped there. Daryl had put it there when she was four months pregnant and had gotten locked out of the house.

_Beth’s car had been in the shop for a couple days and her friend was nice enough to give her a ride home from her shift at the diner so she didn’t have to wait for Daryl to get off work and come pick her up. Beth waved her friend off as she walked up to the front door, digging through her bag for her keys. By the time she realized her house key was on her car key ring which was currently at the shop, her friend had already gone._

_Curses flew through Beth’s mind as she realized it was only four in the evening and Daryl didn’t get off until six, unless he was working later. If he was, it was anyone’s guess when he would be home at that point. Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the dirt road ahead of her. She knew she couldn’t walk anywhere and her cellphone currently had a dead battery as it sat in the bottom of her purse._

_Beth pulled her coat around her tighter, mentally cursing the unseasonably cold January air and her stupid uniform that left her legs bare. She did a lap around the house, checking to make sure there wasn’t an open window she could use to get inside, but she wasn’t that lucky. So Beth sat down with her back against the door, legs out in front of her and began the long wait for Daryl._

_A little more than two hours later, Daryl was pulling up to his house and he was instantly confused when Beth was sitting in front of the house shaking. He stopped the truck and got out, quickly walking over to her._

_“What happened?” Daryl called out; his long strides eating up the distance between the driveway and the house, agitated that his wife was sitting out in the cold and pregnant. Beth was standing by the time he got to her and he grabbed her pale face in his hands. Her cheeks were like ice and he could hear her teeth chattering. He also noticed a slight blue tinge to her lips._

_“N-no key.” Beth’s words were hoarse, her throat was probably raw from breathing in the cold air._

_Daryl wanted to smack his palm against his forehead for not thinking. When Beth called him at work, he hadn’t even thought about the fact that her keys would be with her car and she’d have no way of getting inside._

_“Why didn’t you call me? I woulda come to let ya in!” Daryl raised his voice slightly as his hands dropped down to cradle the small bump on her belly, worried both about her and their unborn child._

_“Phone’s d-dead.” Beth tried to smile, instantly feeling better that Daryl’s hands were on her belly._

_He wanted to smack himself again when he realized he was keeping Beth out in the cold much longer than necessary._

_“Shit. Come on, let’s get ya inside.” Daryl quickly let go of her and used his keys to open the house, ushering Beth inside so she could start to warm up._

_The next day, Daryl taped the spare key to the bottom of the mailbox._

Beth ripped the key out and jogged back up to the front door. As she was putting it into the lock, she wondered if maybe she was stepping out of line. She shrugged at her silent questioning, thinking that it was still _technically_ her house too.

Pushing open the front door and stepping inside, Beth felt as if she had went back in time. Everything was the same. It was dirtier than she was used to, dust settled on all the surfaces and beer cans piled up in the trash, but it felt just like home. She walked through, hand brushing over the worn material on the ratty old couch making her fingertips tingle. She stared at the small table they had in the space they called the dining room and she remembered the many meals they had shared there but her thoughts quickly switched to other things they did on that table, making her body suddenly feel warm all over. Food wasn’t the only thing Daryl ate there.

She made her way down the short hallway to their bedroom. The bed was unmade and Daryl’s dirty clothes littered the floor. That had always been one of Beth’s pet peeves. She never made him do laundry so she told him the least he could do is put them into the hamper. Before she realized it, she had gathered up the dirty clothes and went to the closet to place them in the laundry basket.

When she opened the closet, she dropped the clothes out of her arms back onto the floor. Her thoughts now focused on her own clothes. Her very own clothes that were hanging up in the closet, just as she left them from years before. She could tell they hadn’t even been moved because they were still arranged in the same weird way she liked. Separated by color, starting with the shortest sleeves, working up to long sleeves, and a separate section all for her little sundresses. Even some of her shoes, including those brown and pink cowboy boots, still littered the floor of the closet, just like she remembered leaving them.

Beth didn’t know how long she stood there, just staring into the closet. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t even gotten rid of her clothes. Wondering something, she walked over to the dresser and pulled open the two bottom drawers. Inside them were her socks, underwear, and bras. Beth stepped backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed, and she plopped down, still gazing at the open drawers. A million thoughts raced through her mind, but one question kept coming back.

_‘Why?’_

Beth knew it was a stupid question every time she thought it. She didn’t realize until now that Daryl had continued to love her even after she had left, and most likely still loved her unless there was some other strange reason why he kept her things. A wave of guilt washed over her as she thought about this, and she felt like she was about to be sick. She got up to go get a drink of water when she heard the front door open, stopping her in her tracks. She heard the door slam shut and someone’s feet shuffling.

She visibly tensed when she heard Merle Dixon’s voice instead of Daryl.

 _“_ There’s a horse outside shittin’ in the front yard!” Merle bellowed out into the house, not aware Daryl wasn’t home.

Beth had to cover her mouth to hide the snort that came out of it. She could already tell Merle was drunk, even before his next line came out.

“When the fuck did we get a horse?” It was a typical Merle statement that came across a question as well. Beth was trying not to burst out laughing, her hand clamped harder against her mouth.

Trying to contain her laughter, she started looking for somewhere to hide, but apparently took too long as she heard Merle making his way down the hallway, stomping loudly.

“Baby brother, ya here?” Merle was looking through the house for Daryl, and there wasn’t many places to hide in the small cabin.

She froze when Merle entered the room, his face immediately contorting into rage. If Beth ever thought he would lay a hand on a woman, she would be fearing for her life right now. The phrase ‘if looks could kill’ ran through her mind.

Merle was harshly breathing through his nose and his fists were clenched at his sides as Beth stood still, her mouth slightly agape, trying to think of how to get out of this.

“What the fuck are ya doing here? Ya ain’t fuckin’ welcome here no more!” Merle growled, stepping closer to her. Beth was well aware he was trying to intimidate her, but his choice of words made her snap right back as he towered over her.

“What the _fuck?_ This is my house too! You don’t get a say in whether or not I’m welcome!” Beth stepped closer to him, making them almost chest to chest if Beth were that tall.

“Ain’t been yer house in years! Not since you scooted out that door while Daryl was at work! Fucking woman…don’t have the balls to even say goodbye to his face.” He shook his head at her, sneer on his face. “Ain’t yer home no more Angel.”

It was Beth’s turn for her to clench her fists. “DON’T call me that. And you don’t get to decide if this is my home anymore! Daryl obviously thinks it’s my house still, seeing as ALL of my things are still here. “

Merle laughed in her face, giving Beth the urge to punch him. “Cause he ain’t got the balls to get rid of that shit like I told him to when yer ass never came back. He’s so whipped by your pussy he can’t even move on with his fuckin’ life!”

Beth laughed back at him, but in disbelief rather than humor. “And you’re the one who knows what’s best, right?”

Merle nodded, “I’m the only one who’s ever stayed. Always told him ain’t nobody gonna care about him ‘cept ol’ Merle.” His smile wiped right off his face as he felt Beth put her hands on his chest and give him a hard shove.

“YOU’RE UNBELIEVABLE! IT’S _YOUR_ FAULT ALL THIS HAPPENED!” Beth’s face was now bright red and she was breathing heavily. “You were the reason I was in that car that night! Because you couldn’t do anything besides go out and get trashed, then call Daryl to come and pick you up so you could come here and sleep it off on OUR couch before repeating it all over again!” She shoved him again, pushing Merle out of the bedroom into the living room.

“You were the one who took him away from me when I needed him most, taking him out every night, doing God knows what! And then _that_ day…coming home to _that!_ ” Beth shook her head at the memory. “You ruined our lives Merle. You won’t be happy until he’s just as bad off as you!”

“WELL IF YOU HADN’T LET YOUR HURT LITTLE PUSSY FEELINGS RUN YOUR LIFE, YOU’D SEE WHAT YOUR RUNNING DID TO MAH LITTLE BROTHA!” Merle roared back at her, Beth never once backing down. “And then you have the fucking balls to come strutting back into town with ya new piece of ass, showin’ off yer pretty boy and fancy fuckin’ diamond like you never fuckin’ loved him at all!”

It was the sound heard ‘round the world. The slap echoed as Merle’s face was jolted to the side. A palm print was already clearly visible and Merle looked like he was about to snap her neck. “I never stopped.” She then stormed passed him.

Merle yelled after her, always having to get the last word in, as she bolted from the house. “Take your little ass back on to the fuckin’ city! You ain’t wanted or needed here no more! He don’t need ya!”

His words didn’t even register in Beth’s mind as she was too preoccupied with thinking about how she just admitted, out loud, to Merle and herself, that she was still in love with Daryl Dixon.

 

**Huge thank you to Riain, my wonderful amazing talented beta!**

 

**In chapter 12 we will be seeing more from Daryl!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just holy shit…can’t even believe how many people like this story! YOU'RE THE BEST!**

**Huge thanks to my beta, Riain, once again!**

**Chapter 12**

Daryl walked into his house looking incredibly pissed off as he slammed the door behind him. He threw his keys at the wall and watched as they hit and slid down to the floor. In hindsight Daryl would probably make fun of himself for his little tantrum but for now he felt it was justified to be throwing crap around his house.

Merle was in jail—again. Daryl couldn’t fucking believe it when he got that phone call at work telling him that his brother had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer. He also pissed in the cop car and even though Daryl was mad as hell, that mental image almost brought a smile to his face. He knew Merle would be going to prison for a long time considering his priors, and in the meantime Daryl didn’t even have the money to bail him out. The thought of Merle sitting in jail made Daryl feel incredibly guilty, trying to think of any way to get the money, but that thought was cut short when he realized it was his stupid fucking brother’s fault he was rotting in a cell.

He kicked the little table next to the door, his boot snapping the leg in half, knocking the table over and breaking the lamp that sat on top of it. He was breathing heavily and he was sure his blood pressure was sky high but all he could think about was how he was sick of Merle fucking up.

Merle was always telling him that he was the only one who’d ever be there for him, but thinking back, it seemed that all Merle did was fuck shit up and bail. For a long time he saw Merle as an almighty older brother, but when he lost Beth he realized how he let his older brother run his life into the ground.

_It was almost a month after Andy had died when Daryl got sick of being locked up in the house with Beth crying all the time. He felt suffocated and weak because he had no idea how to help her or himself. He called Merle up, telling him he needed to get out and get shitfaced. Merle was happy to oblige, seeing as how that’s what he did every night anyways. So they went out to a bar a couple towns over, one that Merle frequented often, and proceeded to drink until they forgot._

_Daryl did this every night for three nights before Beth started questioning. It didn’t help that when she began her interrogation, Daryl hadn’t slept and was still drunk._

_“Where have you been?” He looked at her and noticed that her eyes were swollen, she had been crying again._

_“Out.” He tried shrugging her off, hoping she’d get the hint that he didn’t want to fucking talk about it._

_“You’ve been gone all night for three days and you haven’t been to work. Your boss called looking for you.” Her voice was soft. He could tell she wasn’t mad about him being gone, only curious._

_“Been out with Merle.” Daryl huffed, wanting the conversation over so he could go get a shower and some sleep._

_Beth wasn’t used to Daryl being this short with her. He was like this with a lot of people but never her. She just nodded her head at him in defeat, not wanting to argue anymore. He stared at her for a second before turning to walk towards the bedroom to go crash. Just as he was about to take the first step, Beth spoke up again. “Are you okay Daryl?”_

_Daryl tried to contain his anger around Beth whenever he was pissed, but with the alcohol coursing through his veins he didn’t have much self-control. The question was simple, one that sober Daryl knew she meant no harm by. Drunk Daryl didn’t take it as harmless._

_“You just now askin’ if I’m fuckin’ okay? Been almost a month since our fuckin’ son died, but your just now askin’ how the fuck I’m doin’?” He was breathing heavily, seething with alcohol fueled emotion, trying to at least contain his voice. Beth just looked at him, a shocked expression on her face._

_“Daryl…I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been there for yo-“ Beth was quickly cut off by her drunk husband._

_“Haven’t been there for me? Yeah, no shit. I been takin’ care of ya! Makin’ sure you were okay, but you never once gave a fuck about how I felt.”_

_“I lost a baby!” Beth yelled at him. She wanted to grab the words out of the air and shove them back into her mouth the second after she said them._

_“YOU lost a baby? HE WAS MY SON TOO!” Daryl walked closer to her, looking down on her. “I lost my fuckin’ kid too and I haven’t had a fuckin’ minute to myself to even think about it!” Beth felt horrible. She knew Daryl was just as upset as she was, and she hadn’t allowed him any time to grieve._

_“I’m sorry…” she tried putting her hand on his arm to calm him down._

_“Supposed to be my fuckin’ wife! We’re supposed to be in this shit together! Supposed to be there for EACH OTHER!” Daryl pushed her hand away roughly. “You just been too busy actin’ like a stupid selfish bitch!”_

_Beth gasped hearing his words, stepping back from him. She was speechless. Daryl didn’t even notice that she had no response for him as he stormed passed her out of the house._

_Daryl didn’t sleep at all that day, instead he decided it might be a good idea to go into work before the boss fired his ass. After he got off work, he went out once again with Merle. By the time he got home, Beth was asleep. He noticed a pillow and a blanket on the couch and scoffed--she was kicking him out of his own bed._

_Over the next month, Daryl continued his routine of partying with Merle every night all over the county. Beth and Daryl were barely on speaking terms, only talking to each other when absolutely necessary. Half the time Beth only knew he was okay because he’d come home to shower, maybe sleep, and change for work._

_One morning, Beth was getting ready to leave for work when Daryl came home. He would have opened the door right into Beth’s face if she hadn’t of jumped back just in time. Daryl paused and grunted in apology. Beth rolled her eyes at him and was about to walk out the door but stopped when Daryl stepped past her. Beth smelled it, the distinct scent of vanilla. She turned back around, grabbed his wrist and spun him around towards her. Her eyes locked on the bright red lipstick smeared on the collar of his light blue t-shirt._

_Beth dropped his wrist like it was a snake ready to strike. “You fucking asshole!” she hissed at him before turning around, running from the house to her car. She cried the whole way to work, thinking the worst about where her husband had been and what he had been doing._

_Another month would go by, making it mid-June. Daryl and Beth were talking less than before, if that was even possible. She mostly glared at him while he sneered at her, two animals pacing a circle around each other. They never talked about the day that Daryl came home with that god awful hooker red lipstick and vanilla perfume on him. It was almost as if Beth didn’t really want to know. Tensions were running high in the Dixon household. The bomb was primed to explode, it was now a question of when and how bad._

_Beth had just gotten home from work and she was exhausted. She tried laying down to take a nap but the music blasting from the little garage next to the house was keeping her up. She huffed, throwing the blankets off of her, she needed to get sleep with working the breakfast shift at 5am. She quickly walked out to the garage, fists clenched. She threw open the little door on the side and she felt as if all the air had been stolen from her lungs._

_There, sitting on a stool next to the workbench, was Daryl with Merle standing next to him. Both of them immediately straightened up when they heard the door open and when Beth appeared, Daryl dropped the syringe that he was about to plunge into his vein. The plastic clattered to the floor between the brother’s feet, making Beth want to vomit seeing that liquid slosh in the barrel of the syringe._

_Beth didn’t think, she just ran. She ran to the house, grabbed her keys, hopped in her car, and left._

_“SHIT!” Daryl screamed, ripping the tourniquet off of his arm and threw it to the ground as he stormed from the garage. Merle simply shrugged, thinking this meant more meth for him. Daryl would get his shit figured out some way without his help._

_That was the last time Daryl saw Beth before she left. He knew he had fucked up. She had been putting up with his shit for months but he knew that was going to be the last straw for her. She came the next day while Daryl was at work, grabbed a few pieces of clothing, left her wedding ring on the dining table, and then walked out of the Dixon home, out of the life she knew._

Daryl never did drugs with Merle. He knew he’d never be able to because every time he thought about it, he thought about the look on Beth’s face when she caught him about to shoot up. That look would haunt his dreams for months, even thinking about it now made his chest constrict. He broke her heart that day and she in turn broke his. He was never the same after she left.

 _‘Fuck this,’_ he thought to himself ‘ _I ain’t fuckin’ losing her again.’_

Before he realized it, Daryl had picked the keys up off the floor and was in his truck, almost on auto pilot as he made his way towards the Greene farm.

He pulled up in front of the familiar house. It hadn’t actually been that long since he had been there. While Beth had been gone, Annette often invited him over for meals every now and then. The in-laws were doing what they could to help after Andy’s death, without intruding too much into their children’s lives, nor taking sides. Daryl walked up to the front door and knocked, holding his breath to see who answered.

Annette was the one to answer and she just smiled when she saw it was Daryl standing on her front porch. He hadn’t even begun to speak before she was talking. “I’ll go get Beth.”

Daryl snapped his mouth shut and furrowed his eyebrows as he waited for his wife to come greet him. He sat down on one of the chairs outside and waited, his knee bouncing off the slat wood porch nervously. A few minutes later, Beth was outside and her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was.

Daryl stood up quickly, stepping towards her. “We gotta talk.”

Beth just nodded. “Not here though.” She looked around, knowing she didn’t want her parents hearing any part of this conversation.

Daryl gestured towards his truck before starting down the steps, Beth trailing after him. When they were both seated inside, the air was thick with tension. He should have thought about how hard it would be to be this close to her again after all they had been through.

 _‘Too late now,’_ he thought to himself as he turned the ignition, firing the truck up. He turned it around and started making his way off the farm with Beth in the passenger seat.

**So yeah…next couple chapters will be really interesting! Let me know what you guys think! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts because I have a feeling some of you will be pretty pissed off…**


	13. Chapter 13

**So I was originally going to do one chapter for this whole part, but it ended up coming out pretty long and I felt it was best to separate it.**

**Huge thanks to my beta, Riain!**

**Part 1 of Beth and Daryl’s talk:**

Neither said a word on the ride to Daryl’s house. In fact, they remained silent until they were both standing inside the living room. Daryl had his hands shoved in his pockets while Beth tried not to nervously tug on the hem of her dress and both of them were avoiding eye contact. Daryl was the first to break the silence.

He cleared his throat and gestured to the couch, “Do ya uh, wanna sit down?”

Beth, who was looking around the small house she had just been in a couple days before, was startled by Daryl’s voice. “What?” He gestured towards the couch again, signaling to Beth what he had been talking about. “Oh…yeah sure.” Beth’s face flushed red at her own stupidity.

Daryl plopped down like he always did while Beth gingerly placed her butt on the edge of the couch with her hands on her knees.

“Ya want somethin’ to drink? Got some beer and water in there.” Daryl didn’t look at her while he said it.

Beth shook her head until she realized he couldn’t see her, as a certain spot on the wall became very interesting to him. “No, thank you.”

“Suit yerself.” Daryl was up off the couch again walking towards the refrigerator. He grabbed a beer out and popped the tab, taking a long drink.

Beth suddenly thought the idea of alcohol was appealing. Certainly it would make the conversation they were to have easier. “On second thought, I will take a beer.”

Daryl took a long swig of his then nodded. He grabbed a few more from the fridge and walked back over to her. Beth took a beer from his hand and opened it. She tilted her head back and drank the whole thing down. Her expression after was unpleasant.

Daryl scoffed. “Am I really that bad?” He sat back down on the couch and put his feet up on the table in front of them.

Beth eyed his feet, wiping her mouth off. “Just figured it’d make it easier. Haven’t really been on the best of terms.”

“Cause you left.”

“I left for a reason, Daryl.”

“Ya…I know.” Beth really looked at Daryl for the first time since arriving at the house. His expression would be blank to anyone outside of this room, but to Beth it was clear that there was obvious hurt in his eyes. She felt like she just had to dive right in if they were ever going to get anywhere.

“I’m not going to say I’m sorry for leaving…because I’m not. I will say that I’m sorry for leaving the way I did. It wasn’t fair to you or anyone else. I hurt a lot of people because I just ran away, but I know I couldn’t stay here. When I walked into that garage, I couldn’t even think. It was like my body was on autopilot telling me I needed to leave. I didn’t even go anywhere…Just drove all night until I knew you’d be at work, came back and grabbed some stuff, then I was gone. Drove up to New York, had to sell my car in Virginia for some money. It was just something I had to do.” Daryl looked over at Beth and saw that she was looking down at her hands, picking at those damn cuticles again. “Later, when I really thought about it, I figured out why I left. I knew I’d never be able to handle coming home to you dead or somethin’ cause you were doin’ drugs or you ending up like Merle. I already lost a son, and I didn’t want to lose my husband. Sounds stupid now, because I left, but I figured it’d save me a lot of pain if I was the one doing the leaving.”

She sat there for a moment, wondering if he was going to say anything, and then he spoke up. “I never did the drugs. That was the first time and you came in before it happened. Ran out after you but couldn’t find ya anywhere. Never tried to do it again. I weren’t no angel though. It wasn’t some fuckin’ revelation where I immediately knew I had to stop to get you to come back…but I thought you _would_ come back. I didn’t clean up until I realized you weren’t gonna come home.”

_Beth had been gone for a month and Daryl was heartbroken once again. He had lost his son first and now his wife. He knew it was his fault that she was gone and he didn’t know how to fix it. He had no idea where she had gone, so it wasn’t like he could go after her and he wasn’t sure he wanted to right now. Even though he hadn’t even seen drugs since she left, he was now drinking more than ever. Getting wasted was his way of dealing with his issues, even if he wasn’t actually addressing them. If he got so drunk he couldn’t remember that he had ever had a wife or child, then there wasn’t a problem. Sometimes he would wake up and have no idea how he got wherever the hell he was, and most of the time he had no idea what day it was. It was a miracle that he was making it to work and hadn’t been fired yet, Daryl knew his luck with work was running short._

_Currently, he was at Patton’s with Merle and a couple of broads were hanging all over them. Merle was eating up all the attention while Daryl was trying his best to ignore it, which was hard considering the busty woman clinging to his arm. She really was pretty but not his type at all – well not his type anymore. Before Beth he would have been all over this girl, taking advantage of the situation, but now all he could think about was how she wasn’t delicate enough, her long black hair was coarse and didn’t smell sweet like the strawberry shampoo Beth had used. The whiskey was certainly helping him look past those things though. Daryl hadn’t been with a woman since Beth, and even though she had been gone for only a month, they hadn’t had sex since before they had Andy._

_He didn’t know why he decided to take that girl, Alexis, into the bathroom stall. He knew he didn’t want her, didn’t want anyone besides Beth, but all his brain was currently telling him was that he better bury himself balls deep inside of her before he lost the opportunity. So he picked Alexis up under her thighs and she wrapped her legs around him as he pushed inside. Daryl finished within five minutes of starting and Alexis hadn’t even got off. Daryl left immediately after, not giving a fuck what Alexis thought._

_Daryl would never really understand why he had fucked that girl. It was something he would have done three years ago, but ever since he had asked her out at the diner, Daryl had only been with one woman. Even Beth thought he had cheated on her when he came home with lipstick on his shirt. Some broad had been hanging all over him that night but Daryl wasn’t going to take the bait. Sure, at that point he might have wanted to hurt Beth but he could never actually do that to her. He never told her the truth though._

_These types of nights, with Daryl drinking his weight in whiskey and screwing some random chick in any convenient place, would go on for another month. By August, Daryl was beginning to really understand that Beth wasn’t coming home and no matter how much he tried to hide from that realization, it wasn’t just going to go away._

_Everything in his life had felt empty without her. No longer did he want to be Merle’s shadow, living his life without purpose. He knew if he were to ever get Beth back in his life that he would have to change but he wasn’t quite sure how. Daryl knew someone who knew quite a bit about this situation and decided to go see him._

_Showing up at Hershel’s front door had been a shock for the older man, who hadn’t heard from his son-in-law since Beth had left. He figured he would have come a lot sooner, but now that he was here, Hershel wasn’t about to bring that up. He invited the young man inside and asked him to sit down for lunch with him. Daryl was never one to refuse Annette’s cooking so he accepted—a little too quickly if you asked anyone else._

_When they were done eating, Annette left the two men alone to talk, but not before giving Daryl a tight hug and telling him how much she’s missed him._

_Daryl didn’t waste any time once they were left alone. “Do you know where she is?”_

_Hershel nodded his head. “She called about a month ago, letting us know she was okay. Apparently she made it all the way up to New York.”_

_Daryl’s heart dropped into his stomach. New York? The thought of her leaving Georgia hadn’t even crossed his mind until now. “I need your help, Hershel.” Hershel just stared at Daryl, feeling that he had more to say. “I don’t know how to fix this. Been drinkin’ a lot, don’t even know who I am most days.” Daryl purposely left out the part about how he had been sleeping with other women and how Beth had really left because he was about to do methamphetamines._

_Hershel crossed his arms over his chest and looked Daryl in the eye. He could tell that this boy really did love his daughter and would take back everything bad he had ever done if he had the chance. “I know somewhere we can go.”_

_Turns out that ‘somewhere’ was an alcoholic’s anonymous meeting. Daryl watched as the people there greeted Hershel as if they had known him for years, and it turned out that they had in fact known him for years._

_During that meeting, he found out that Hershel hadn’t had a drop of alcohol for 28 years. Daryl couldn’t imagine himself never having an ice cold beer again. While listening to these people’s stories about how their lives were ruined by their addiction, Daryl realized something very important. All of these people had one thing in common, and that was that the alcohol was controlling them. Some had got to the point where they would drink cough syrup if they couldn’t get their hands on some liquor. This was not the case with Daryl._

_During that meeting he realized that it wasn’t the alcohol consuming his life, it was him using alcohol to hide from his life. Daryl had wanted to get drunk, and for a while felt like he needed to, but now it was just something he did so he could forget. He realized that alcohol had no control over him and if he had really ever wanted to quit drinking then he would have. He knew that’s probably what every alcoholic told themselves, but in Daryl’s case it was the truth._

_After the meeting was over, he was in the truck with Hershel heading back to the farm._

_“So what did you think?” Hershel kept his tone level and quiet, that was his way that everyone knew._

_“Honestly?” Daryl glanced over at the man he loved like a father, getting a nod in response. “It kinda made me realize somethin’. I don’t think I could ever give up drinkin’ forever but I know I gotta stop what I’m doin’ now. I ain’t ever gonna get Beth back if I keep goin’ down this road.”_

_“Reckon that’s true.” Hershel gave Daryl a small smile. “I ever tell you that Annette’s not my first wife?”_

_“I knew Beth and Maggie had different mamas but that’s about it.”_

_“Got a divorce, tore me up pretty bad, ended up almost drinking myself to death. Didn’t end up getting things together until after I met Annette. She whipped my ass into shape. Told me if I ever wanted a life with her, I’d have to give it up. So I did. Not to say it wasn’t hard work, but it was definitely worth it. Got my Beth out of it and I’ve still got Annette by my side.”_

_Daryl nodded hearing Hershel talk about something so personal. He knew Hershel was trying to tell him that it would never be easy, but it would be the best thing he ever did._

_That was the first night in a while that Daryl didn’t get drunk. The urge was there, it would be so easy to drink away his pain, but he fought it for himself and for his family._

Beth sat and listened patiently while Daryl told her what went on after she ran. Her heart hurt at the thought of him being with another woman but she knew she had no room to make a comment about it as she was the one who had gotten engaged to another man while still married to Daryl.

“I almost came back.” Beth forced the words out through the lump in her throat. Daryl’s head snapped up at her, confusion lining his face. “When your daddy died, I almost came back but I guess I didn’t have the guts.”

Daryl just bit his lip and nodded his head, eyes focused on Beth’s.

“I came looking for you.” His voice came out a strangled whisper. It was Beth’s turn to be confused. “About a month after I started cleaning up, in September.”

“I never knew.” Her voice was sad and soft.

“Yeah well, as soon as I made it up there I realized what a stupid idea it was.”

_Daryl had made it up to New York and he was very much out of his element. Not only was the city packed with people that made him extremely uncomfortable, he had no idea where to look for her. He had absolutely no fucking clue where she was and what she was doing._

_He was standing on the sidewalk when he decided to go on back home, shaking his head at the thought of him being able to come find her and beg her to come back home. If on the off chance he did find her, he knew that there was no way of knowing if she even wanted to come back. Daryl turned around and walked away, ready to leave this city forever and continue to pray that Beth would come back to him._

_Little did he know that Beth was standing on the patio of a café taking a customer’s lunch order. Beth saw a man standing across the street who looked an awfully lot like Daryl, but when she did a double take, he was gone._

“It was you!” Beth sounded shocked. She thought she saw Daryl in New York but quickly chalked it up to her simply losing her mind, never thinking that he would actually come up there to find her.

Daryl went to look at her once again, about to question what she meant when suddenly Beth’s lips were on his.

 

**Also, if you are following her story ‘Respectfully, CMC Dixon’ (which if you aren’t, you totally should be because it is super amazing and perfect), there is now a Tumblr blog devoted to it! (18+ please because there is some naughty stuff on there!) The blog username is RCMCDUSN.**

**And last but not least, HUGE thank you to all the followers and reviewers, especially those who are reviewing every chapter! It is seriously fuel for my writing soul and makes me very happy to know you guys are enjoying the story!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Let there be SMUT!**

Beth’s skin was on fire, her brain had turned to mush, and she was reveling in the feeling of it all. Daryl had told her how he came to New York to look for her and it was like opening the floodgates for Beth. Even after all that had happened, when it would have been so much easier to just keep on going the way he was, Daryl had changed – for _her._ After all she had done to hurt him, he had decided he still wanted her. She didn’t know how he found the time or money to come up to the city looking for her, but he found a way just like he always had. The thought of him going through all of that and then losing hope because he had no idea where to even begin looking for her made Beth feel sad for him and their relationship. She wondered what would have happened if he had just looked towards that little café that day and saw her standing there staring back at him.

The range of emotions she was feeling might have impaired her judgment a bit, but as she was straddling Daryl’s lap on the couch in her old home attacking his mouth with feverish kisses, she knew she wouldn’t regret anything. Technically she and Daryl were still married. She may have had a fiancé waiting for her back in New York but as bad as it sounded, it didn’t matter right now. The only thing she was thinking in this moment, all coherent thoughts leaving her mind; was that she had to have him again, needing to feel how much he still loved her.

Daryl was shocked by Beth throwing herself onto him but he wasn’t about to pull away. He had been waiting for this moment for almost four years and he knew she needed it just as badly as he did. He didn’t know what was going to happen in the morning, but at least for the night, he was going to make Beth his again.

His hands were on her hips, squeezing them tight as he pulled her against him. Her clothed core was rubbing against his very obvious erection making him groan. Beth’s hands were clenched tight around his neck, fingers digging into his skin, and the slight pain felt so good.

Not wasting anytime, Daryl picked Beth up by her thighs, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He made their way to the bedroom, not stopping the war that was currently going on between their tongues. It was all very reminiscent of the first night they had made love. Instead of dropping Beth on the bed, he set her on her feet. His hands left her thighs, trailing up her body until his fingers met the thin material of her dress. He grabbed the soft cotton and pulled it up until it was completely off her body. He looked at her and wanted to thank God that she decided she didn’t need a bra today.

Beth didn’t want to be the only one in her underwear so she quickly grabbed Daryl’s shirt and basically tore it from his body. As soon as his torso was bare, Beth reattached her mouth to his. Daryl tangled his hands in her hair, tugging the strands gently, as Beth’s hands made their way to his pants. She unbuckled his belt and undid the button and zipper before pushing the denim down his legs. Daryl stepped out of his jeans as soon as the fabric hit the floor.

Daryl picked Beth up and laid her on the bed. He pulled his tongue from her mouth to lean back and look at her. “Yer fuckin’ beautiful.” Normally, Beth would blush at his comment but right now she could see the fire in his eyes that proved he really did think she was beautiful.

He leaned back down, but instead of his mouth finding her lips, he gently bit down on her nipple. Beth moaned at the assault on her breasts as his hand made its’ way to her other nipple, his fingers pinching the sensitive skin. She actually whined when his teeth left the nub.

Daryl was now kissing his way down her stomach, lips brushing over the faded stretch marks from her pregnancy. His fingers came down and started pulling on the only fabric left on her body, and he placed a reverent kiss on her c-section scar before yanking the panties down her legs.

He wrapped his arms underneath her thighs and pulled her legs apart before diving in. Beth gasped as his tongue ran along her now soaked slit. Daryl groaned when he tasted her, it had been too long. He dipped his tongue into her tight hole before licking up to her clit and sucking it into his mouth. He worked the bundle of nerves between his teeth and lapped at her juices which were now flowing freely. He only did this for her, no other woman felt his lips on her most sacred flesh like Beth did.

It couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes later when Beth clenched her thighs around his head; arched her hips off the mattress, his name coming out of her mouth in a hoarse scream as she came. Daryl didn’t waste any time standing up and slipping his boxers off his body. He was incredibly hard before but hearing his name come from Beth’s lips made his erection feel painful. He was about to situate himself between her legs when Beth, who was now panting and flushed, sat up and pulled him down to the bed next to her. He rolled onto his back as she crawled on top of him, her eyes burning like sapphires on fire. Daryl shuddered at the want in his wife’s eyes, his skin almost electric at her touch.

With her knees straddling his hips, Daryl held his cock in his hand lining it up with Beth’s dripping entrance. He watched as she hovered over him and then began sinking down. He threw his head back when she was fully seated on top of him. She was still for a moment, letting herself adjust to his size, before she started slowly moving her hips.

Daryl tightened his abs as he pulled his head up to nip at her neck. His hands went to her hips, urging her to move faster. Beth obliged, straightening up and starting to bounce up and down on his cock.

She rode him for another few minutes and Daryl felt like he was about to come undone. He didn’t want to finish before Beth got off again, so he reached his hand down between them and started rubbing her clit with two fingers. He held back his own orgasm as he felt her walls tighten around him, her nails digging into his chest. When she was done, Daryl thrust up a couple more times before spilling himself inside her.

Daryl and Beth made love three more times that night, including the one time they tried to clean up in the shower, before falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

The next morning, they both enjoyed waking up with Daryl curled around Beth with one hand playing with a strand of her hair. They laid in bed naked, neither saying a word, for a couple hours before Beth felt the need to get up.

Standing up, she grabbed her clothes off the floor and began putting them back on. Once she was fully dressed she looked over at Daryl, who was not enjoying the show as he wished she would remain uncovered.

“Daryl, I need you to sign those papers.” Beth sighed, tucking her hair into a messy pony tail with the band around her wrist.

Daryl nodded at her, “Yeah…”

Beth left the bedroom and walked to her purse that was sitting on the kitchen counter, pulling out the papers that would finalize her divorce. She set them down and grabbed a pen before turning to Daryl who had emerged from the bedroom in nothing but a pair of jeans.

She knew this would hurt him, and it would hurt her too, but Daryl would do this for her no matter how badly he didn’t want it. In her heart she knew that he would do anything if he thought it would make her happy. It made her chest ache when he picked up the pen, but she tried pushing the emotions down as she thought of Zach. He had been nothing but good to her and he expected her to marry him, he didn’t deserve the pain it would cause if she went back to Daryl. He didn’t even have a clue as to what went on last night. The thought of her actually cheating on him made bile start rising up her throat, making her mouth water as she suppressed the urge to vomit. She didn’t know what she was going to tell him when she went back to New York, but she forgot about that as soon as Daryl put the pen down on the paper.

Daryl’s hand hesitated for a moment, but he eventually signed his name on the appropriate line in his usual scribbled signature.

“There ya go, got what ya wanted.” Daryl forced the words out, keeping a tight rein on his emotions. He didn’t want her knowing it was killing him to give her what she wanted, as much as he hated it. He would do it for her at the expense of his own pain, that’s how much he loved her.

Beth looked at him and could see the hurt on his face. He was trying to hide it from her but knew he would never be able to. Beth’s eyes watered as she gathered up her stuff and fled from the house. Leaving Daryl standing there alone, only left with his mind that was currently trying to process the fact that he was now divorced. His time with Beth wasn’t always easy but he knew that later in life looking back, he would think of them as the best times of his life.

**So please try to refrain from throwing heavy objects at me. The story is NOT over!**

**Please let me know what your thoughts are on all of this! I’d also like to remind everyone that while Beth is being pretty horrible about Zach, she’s doing what she believes is the right thing, even if it may not be. Hoping I got these emotions across right.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Huge** **thank you to Riain for looking this one over. I love you girlie!**

After leaving Daryl’s house, Beth ran. She was so sick of running but this time she wasn’t doing it figuratively. Daryl had been her transportation and she wasn’t about to ask him for a divorce _and_ a ride. She got about almost two miles away from his house when she collapsed onto her knees, trying to force air into her lungs to stop the aching in her sides. For about the millionth time in the last few weeks, there was a pain in her heart and she felt like her stomach was going to make an appearance out of her throat.

She wasn’t even thinking about what had just happened as she ripped her phone from her bag and dialed her sister’s number. Maggie answered after the third ring.

“Bethy! Watcha doin?”

Beth tried to get her labored breathing under control so she could get the words out to her sister. “Come get me? Please.” She would have elaborated more if she wasn’t so out of breath.

“Are you okay? Where are you? I’m leaving now!” Maggie’s voice was frantic, clearly worried by the tone of her sister’s voice.

Beth was able to at least get out her location before the call was ended. It felt like as soon as her breathing returned to normal, she collapsed forward onto her hands and sobbed. Again trying to draw in gasping breaths to help her body function. She continued to cry even after her tears had run out.

She heard her sister’s car pull up a few minutes later. Maggie threw her arms around Beth, crushing her against her chest, whispering comforting words in her ear. Eventually Beth calmed down enough for her to get into the car. They drove in silence for the first few minutes, Maggie knowing that Beth would talk when she was ready.

“He signed them.” Beth’s voice was quiet and Maggie thought she sounded so… _broken._

Maggie looked at Beth cautiously who was staring at her hands in her lap. “Who signed what?”

“Daryl…he signed the divorce papers.” Now Maggie was even more confused.

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Beth took a quiet deep breath through her nose. “I thought so.” She bit her lip and looked up from her lap out the window then turned her gaze on Maggie. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I thought I’d be relieved when he finally signed them! That’s what I came here for! But now…I just don’t know. Is it supposed to heart this much?”

Maggie sighed, not quite sure of what to say. It even hurt her to see her little sister like this. “You and Daryl were really in love. You’re saying goodbye to a huge part of your life. He wasn’t just some guy you dated for a few months. You married him…you had a baby together. I mean, he’s Daryl Dixon…everyone thought no one would tame that man, but you did. Obviously what you guys had was special.”

“I still love him.” It was a whisper, one that Maggie had to strain to hear and when she realized she had actually heard Beth right, her eyes bulged.

“Then what the fuck are you doing?” Maggie had to tell her self not to slam on the brakes and turn the damn car around.

“Zach…” Maggie just shook her head at her sister.

“Do you love him?”

Beth was silent and Maggie knew that if she really did love Zach that the answer would have been immediate. “I do, but it’s different. Zach’s been nothing but nice to me. He helped put me back together when I went up to New York. He’s been there for me ya know?”

Maggie nodded. “But do you _really_ love him?”

Beth gave a small sad smile. “There’s no fireworks.”

“But with Daryl there is?” They were pulling up to the farm now.

“With Daryl it’s like…explosions.” She smiled again at the thought. “I haven’t signed the papers yet though.”

Maggie pulled the car up to the front of the house and Beth started to exit. “Seems like you got some thinkin’ to do.”

Once out of the car, Beth turned and nodded at her sister. “Thanks Maggie.”

Beth walked up to steps to the house and as she entered through the front door, she didn’t see anyone around. She was relieved at this because she really just wanted to have some time to think to herself.

She climbed the stairs and went to her room. Collapsing face first onto the bed, she sighed. She was so exhausted after last night’s _activities_ and this morning’s breakdown that she might have been able to fall asleep in the uncomfortable position, if not for the fact that she felt like her head was about to pop because of all the thoughts currently residing in it.

She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling through swollen eyes. She knew she didn’t love Zach like she should if she was going to marry him, but the thought of breaking his heart actually broke her heart too. Zach was such a good guy and he deserved so much – much better than her, but he chose her.

When it came to Daryl, she already knew she broke his heart but after all that has happened between them, she didn’t know if it would ever work out. She loved him as much as she did the day she married him but underneath all that love was a whole lot of pain and suffering on both sides.

To say Beth didn’t know what to do was an understatement. She almost wished she had never come back; wished she had just stayed up in New York and told Zach she couldn’t get married but that she would still spend the rest of her life with him.

No one on the outside looking in would really see the struggle that was waging in Beth’s mind. It would be black and white to them, no matter what they thought she should do. She only knew one person who would be able to lead her in the right direction without being biased – her father.

Beth got up from the bed and headed downstairs, forgetting her want of being alone. She found her father in his study with a big book open that had pictures showing the intricate inner workings of a horse’s body. She stood in the doorway and cleared her throat.

Hershel looked up to see his youngest standing in the doorway, looking utterly pitiful.

“Can I talk to you for a minute Daddy?”

Hershel gave her a nod and a warm smile. “I think I can squeeze you in.”

His comment made the corners of Beth’s mouth perk up. She sat down in a chair across from him and sighed. “I’m stuck Daddy. I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”

Hershel chuckled, even with the serious nature of the conversation. “Care to elaborate a little, Bethy?”

Beth chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Hershel looked at her expectantly, still not quite gathering what she was going on about. “Daryl or Zach…I still love him Daddy but I love Zach too, just…not in the same way. And I don’t want to hurt either of them.”

Hershel sucked in a slow breath. “Sounds like you really don’t have a choice in that matter. You’re going to have to make a choice.”

Beth nodded, “I know, I just wish I didn’t have to break someone’s heart.”

Hershel admired his daughter in that moment, knowing she really was a good girl. Sure, she had made some mistakes but she didn’t have a cruel bone in her body. “What about your own heart, Bethy? Maybe it’d be easier to decide what you’re going to do if you knew what you actually wanted.” Beth listened intently as the wise words flew from his mouth.

“What if I choose the wrong one? What if everything falls apart again?” The questions came out rushed, Beth hardly pausing in between words. “I don’t know if I can handle that again.”

Hershel nodded again. “Sounds to me like you know exactly what you want, but you might be leaning toward the safer option.”

Beth thought on this and knew her father was right. She knew in her heart that Daryl was it for her. She would always love him; he would always hold her heart. She didn’t know what would happen with him. If they didn’t work out the first time, who was to say it wouldn’t fall apart again? She did know that if she chose Zach she would never really be happy and it wouldn’t be fair to him – her life would be one big lie. She didn’t want to hurt him but she knew staying with him wouldn’t be helping anyone in the long run.

Her father interrupted her thoughts. “Sometimes you have to take a risk.”

“Thanks Daddy…you really do always know what to say.”

Hershel laughed. “I don’t know about that but I’m glad I could be of some help.”

Beth got up and kissed her father on the lips, quickly exiting the room. She now knew what to do, finally letting her heart decide. She had a plane to New York to catch.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**So here is the last chapter to The Past Comes Home!!!**

**Seriously can’t believe it is already finished! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you all so much for the amazing support! It really made me WANT to write this story and get it out to you.**

**A HUGE thank you to Riain because without her, this story would still be 1 chapter long with about 300 words written for chapter 2. She has spent HOURS helping me by editing this and talking me through the storyline! She is an amazing writer and an even more amazing person! LOVE YOU GIRLIE!**

Beth stepped off the plane in New York and felt disgusting. She had left Georgia so fast that she had only had time to change her clothes, instead of showering after her night with Daryl. She could feel the mixture of juices that had dried between her legs and her hair was knotted and greasy, piled on top of her head. She was also wearing absolutely no makeup, and even though that’s how it usually was with Beth, she knew she could have used some to try and hide the dark circles under her swollen red eyes. She felt sorry for the people on the plane that had to look at her and felt even worse for those who were close enough to smell her.

Once she exited the airport, she pulled out a tiny bottle of citrus body spray she kept in her purse and misted it all over her, then pulled out a piece of gum to pop into her mouth. She opened the door and entered one of the many yellow cabs that had lined up outside the terminals at JFK. Giving the driver the address to Zach’s apartment, she felt nervous. She really was here, in New York, to break it off with him. She was scared of how he would react, but thanks to her chat with her father, she knew this was truly the better thing. Even if things didn’t work out with Daryl, it would still be the right choice because she knew she would never love the Zach the way he deserved to be loved.

Still, she wasn’t looking forward to hurting him and she desperately hoped he would understand. Zach was a good man who deserved so much more than Beth could give him. She only got more nervous as she got closer to his apartment. With the ride taking almost an hour due to traffic, by the time Beth was stepping out of the cab she was actually contemplating going back home and just mailing the ring back to him. Her nerves were that shot, emotion running wild through her thoughts, nearly making her physically ill.

She stared at the building for at least five minutes, trying to talk herself down from just bailing. Beth shook her head and trudged on, knowing this is what she had to do.

‘Stop being a coward Beth!’ she mentally scolded herself.

She entered the building and took the elevator up to the seventh floor. Standing in front of his apartment, she wondered if she should just enter or knock. They lived together but considering she was here to break things off, knocking felt like it would be appropriate. Beth rapped on the door loudly, trying to control her breathing. She could hear Zach shuffling around inside and seconds later, he opened the door.

Zach looked surprised and a little confused to see that his fiancée had been the one knocking. Beth smiled at him and he smiled back before pulling her into a hug. Beth slowly returned it, the contact making her situation worse. This was becoming harder than it had to be, Beth was struggling to breathe in the doorway to the small apartment.

She pulled back and looked at him as her eyes started to tear up. Zach looked immediately concerned seeing the look on Beth’s face.

“What’s the matter?” His voice was soft in her ears, he never showed anger with her.

Beth sighed in anger, “I’m so sick of crying.” She furiously rubbed at her eyes, willing the liquid to disappear.

“Why are you crying Beth?” Zach put his hands up on her shoulders and started to rub them, trying to soothe her.

“I don’t even know where to start…” She choked on the words, emotions raw.

“Maybe from the beginning?” Zach suggested humorously, trying to lighten the mood.

Beth chuckled lightly and sniffled. “Yeah, that’d be good. Can I come in?”

“It’s still your place too Beth.” He took her hand and brought her inside the apartment. Zach pulled her over to the couch and sat down. Beth looked at him for a moment before sitting down next to him, not as close as she normally would have.

Beth then proceeded to tell Zach about her past with Daryl, finally telling him about the son they had and lost, the messy ‘break-up’, and everything that had happened since she had been back. She struggled through all of it but she thought she would actually vomit when she told him about how she had slept with Daryl. Zach’s face remained blank as she told him everything and was silent even after she had finished. Beth wished he would cry or get mad and scream – do anything.

Although she wanted to shake a reaction out of him, she sat patiently waiting for something to come out of his mouth.

“You know I love you Beth…” Zach started in his quiet way that was so much like her father. Beth nodded at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I know, I love you too. It’s just…not like that.” She bit her lip, and looked into his eyes. “I never meant for this to happen. I’m such a bitch. I shouldn’t have agreed to marry you. I feel like all I’ve done is brought you pain.”

Zach stared back at her and sighed. “I’m not gonna lie and say it doesn’t hurt…but I’m also not gonna lie and say I didn’t see this coming.”

Beth’s ears perked up at this. “What?”

“I saw how you were back in Georgia. You were different there. Distanced yourself…I kind of put the pieces together. I’m not deaf or blind babe.” Zach mused, making Beth feel even worse.

Beth started crying at this point. “I never meant to hurt you Zach…honestly.”

“I know.” He nodded at her and took her hand in his. Beth felt the reassuring squeeze and visibly relaxed, yet the tears continued to streak down her cheeks. “I may have borrowed your heart for a little while, but Daryl’s had it forever.” He then pulled her into a tight hug, and she clung to him, knowing she was truly saying goodbye to this relationship and her the life she had built in New York, not quite yet wanting to let go.

“Thank you…” Beth wasn’t sure if she was thanking him for understand or thanking him for everything he had ever done for her, but it was all the same. In that moment, she was truly grateful for Zach and all that he was.

They spent the rest of the day packing up Beth’s things, which wasn’t much. Mostly some clothes, electronics, and small pieces of furniture. Zach took her to rent a pick-up truck that she could drive back to Georgia, and once they had it all loaded up, Beth and Zach said their goodbyes.

“I’m gonna miss you.” The words muffled because Beth’s face was pressed against Zach’s chest.

He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll miss you too, but you don’t have to stay away forever.”

She pulled back and nodded up at him, desperately trying not to cry _again._ “Goodbye Zach.”

Beth got into the truck and as she pulled away, she looked back in the rearview mirror seeing the figure that was waving at her become smaller and smaller.

She stopped a few hours into her drive to sleep for the night. Exhaustion and emotions having taken a toll on her body. She slept for twelve hours before waking up to finish her journey.

The closer she got to Georgia, the more she wondered about what would come of her life now. Would Daryl even take her back after she had hurt him so badly? If he did, would it be like picking back up again? Or would it be like a fresh start? Beth thought back to how it had been when they first started going out.

_Daryl picked Beth up after work for their first official date. It had only taken a year for him to finally muck up the courage to ask her out and now it was actually happening. She wasn’t sure where he was taking her and had only told her to wear jeans and bring a jacket. She changed in the bathroom after her shift was over and ran outside, hopping into Daryl’s truck._

_Her face was beaming as she looked over to him. “So where we goin’?”_

_“You’ll see.” Daryl smirked at her before pulling out of the small parking lot._

_Beth and Daryl had ended up spending the night out in a field under the stars. He had packed a dinner in a basket for a real picnic. They laid in the bed of the truck after eating and just talked. It was the best date that Beth could have ever imagined. She had been surprised when Daryl told her they would be having a picnic, especially at night in the middle of nowhere, but it was the good kind of surprise that makes you feel that special kind of fluttering in your tummy._

_“You know…you’re not how I had imagined you, Daryl Dixon.”_

_Daryl snorted. “Yeah, I s’pose not.”_

_They ended up talking all night until the sun came up. They didn’t have any major heart to hearts, they kept the conversation light, but still, Beth felt like she had gotten a glimpse at a whole different side of the youngest Dixon that night – and she found she really liked it._

Beth had no idea what the future would bring for her and Daryl, if there would even be a future with them together, but she couldn’t help but realize that this time she was returning to Georgia, she felt like she was _really_ coming home.

 

**Not gonna lie, I cried a little bit.**

**Have no fear, I have officially posted the first chapter of the sequel!**


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